Fallacious
by SuperNatural1985
Summary: Layn, a young independent mutt seeks help from the very suspicious pack. Too many attacks have happened and the pack has lost too much to be anything but distrustful. Even if the mutt is young. Can Layn be trusted though? Or does he have ulterior motives? Will he survive long enough for the pack to discover either way?
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story _**Enraptured**_.

**Layn**

He decided to pick the name Layn because it was short and easy. It also went along with his last name easily. He was now Layn Emerson Rumancek and he had to forget his old name and slip into the skin of this new person. It used to be hard to but now being someone new was absurdly easy. Maybe it was too easy but that was fine. This was his gift or maybe his curse, but he would use it to the best of his advantage.

Layn had stayed as still as possible listening to the night air and waiting. The pack would not be kept waiting and he didn't intend to make them wait. He, though, would wait forever because it might be that long before this meeting commenced. Even if the pack said they would meet him at a certain time they had no obligation to. He was the one who wanted something from them so he was the one who have to sacrifice his time and play the waiting game.

He had heard many different things throughout his life about the pack and he wasn't sure what to believe. Were they brutes? Were they kind? Maybe they were in between the two degrees? Maybe it didn't matter because whoever and whatever they were he would need to face them and soon if the howling in the distance was any indication.

Layn stopped breathing as he listened for noises carefully. His eyes took in every leaf and branch and his nose found every scent. Birds, squirrels and then there…wolf. He sniffed again scenting human as well. He stood then, from the picnic table he staked as his territory, and watched the edge of the woods, but it was off to his left that he saw the first human shapes, on the gravel pathway. Of course, Layn thought chiding himself. They wouldn't come as wolves. The howling was probably a nearby animal wolf pack or maybe coyote. He still sometimes mixed up those sounds.

He let them come to him just because he wasn't sure he was allowed to approach. He needed to be cautious around them. There were rules and regulations he didn't understand and a crazy werewolf might just rip your throat out if he thought he had the justification. Layn did not plan on giving him the justification to even give him a dirty look. He stayed still and kept his eyes downcast, making sure not to make direct eye contact. He knew that at least.

He watched their shoes, casual sneakers, and pants, casual jeans, as they walked up. His eyes lit on their shirts and coats and then their shoulders. Finally he lifted his eyes to cheek level and went no higher. The number one rule was to be careful no matter what. No sudden moves and no assumptions.

"Layn Rumancek?" a woman's voice asked. Layn nodded and looked to the man who had come with her and then at her. He was surprised to see she was almost as tall as the man, but he had heard she was not a short woman in stature or in heart. She looked like she could take on a male wolf and win which may be one reason why the pack would follow a female so easily. He wasn't sure.

"Sit," the man's voice ordered. Layn nodded and backed up a step, sitting down and setting his hands on the picnic table. He knew this would be the least aggressive position he could take with the best weapons he had in front of him.

After a moment of tension, Layn heard the two walk around the table and sit across from him. He made sure that he kept his back to them, telling them he trusted them not to attack. It was either the stupidest or the smartest thing he could do then. When he saw them sit he visibly relaxed and kept his eyes on the wood grain of the table. It was worn from years of use and constant exposure to the elements as well. He'd have preferred to look at the two werewolves but that would be a grave mistake. No, he would study the wood until he was told otherwise. He'd wait for orders and show them he could be a good pack pup.

"Layn, you can look at us. We won't bite," the woman said now, making it a half order. Layn swallowed and looked up then; being careful that eye contact was not threatening and lasted only seconds.

"Not unless we need too," the man put in. Elena gave no reaction to what the man said so he knew the man was telling the truth. Layn figured that they were talking to a mutt and needed to be careful, even if that mutt was considered to be a kid by them. They also needed to establish themselves as an authority to him and making threats was part of that. A part he hated but still.

Layn swallowed again and nodded, knowing the man would do exactly as he said if Layn acted up. The pack was serious. That was one thing that had been drilled into his head. Layn was beyond nervous and he was sure they could smell his anxiety twenty miles away. There was nothing he could do about it though. If he wasn't nervous they would be even more suspicious.

"First, do you know who we are? Do you know how dangerous even contacting us is?" Elena asked. Layn knew he should appear frightened and he didn't actually have to fake it. Maybe he had to fake a lot of stuff with the pack coming up but being scared of them wasn't one of them. He had also established by now that Elena was the one who interrogated and Clay was the one who enforced. He still wasn't sure who he should be more scared of though.

"You're Clayton Danvers and you're Elena Michaels, the enforcer and the Alpha. If I take one step out of line, you will carve me up like a werewolf turkey and serve me to the pack," Layn stated. Elena didn't even blink when he said this so he knew he was on the right track. Clay only nodded now and crossed his arm, appraising the kid. Layn knew they were taking young werewolves in to up their pack numbers, but he wasn't sure if he fit the bill. Even if he didn't he had to make them believe he was what they were looking for. It was his mission and to fail in his mission would get him killed just as letting them figure out what he was actually trying to do would get him killed. He'd be killed one way or the other, so he'd try and prolong his life as long as possible.

"You know my name, well, my middle name is Emerson, and it's after my dad. Anyway, I'm 18. I'm from…. I know you already know this. I know you checked me out and everything. Um, can I get something from my bag?" he asked them. Elena looked surprised for a moment before nodding. Slowly Layn took his bag from beside him and put it on the table. He opened it and was about to reach inside when Clay's hand came out and clamped down on his forearm.

"Let me," he instructed. Layne nodded and waited for the man's iron hard grip to let go, giving him permission to move. It felt like it took forever and that his eyes were burning holes in Layn's head, but finally he let up, if reluctantly, after a look from Elena. Layn pulled his hand back and let the man rifle through his bag. It took all his energy to not snarl at him, but he made himself sit still and look relaxed. He knew they could smell his extra anxiety and anger about this, but he tried not to show it.

"I was going to get the file, the blue one at the back. It has everything you already know and maybe some stuff you don't," Layn informed. Elena looked perplexed at this for a moment before she nodded and opened the bag more, digging it out and opening it up. He knew he couldn't do much to throw them off but having a file on yourself was probably pretty odd. As she read, Clay continued to rifle through his belongings, pulling out jeans and t-shirts and setting them on the table, and then finding a few books, papers, pencils, a family photo Layn looked away from and finally the item he was hoping they would not come across, the gun.

Layn froze as Clay nudged Elena and she glanced at the weapon and then at the young werewolf. She set down the file and glanced behind Layn, focusing on something. Layn could tell she saw someone or something. Quickly she looked at Layn again and raised an eyebrow. Beside her Clay unloaded the gun and gave the younger wolf a look like he was scolding a child. Layn coloured then and his mind raced to think of explanations.

"Protection. I have it for protection. I don't have anyone to watch my back. I only have me," Layn said, trying to pull at the threads of sympathy, hoping that either of them could feel sympathy. He was pretty sure Clay couldn't, but he knew Elena could. Clay shook his head then and Layn suddenly wondered why he wasn't getting a "you're so screwed" look. It was as if he was disciplining a child and not talking to a mutt who could have killed them with a weapon. He shuffled this thought to the back of his mind however, as his wolf senses started to alert him to danger.

Behind him Layn heard the barest rustling noise and felt a presence, knowing his instincts were right. He glanced at the Alpha and took a deep breath.

"You don't trust me. I get it. You don't know me and you have never heard my family name. Lately there have been reports of animal attacks in the area and you just got back from a mission that threatened your family so you're both on edge. I understand," Layn said, trying to get them to be on his side at least a bit or to give him a chance.

"Do you?" Elena asked, glancing at the photo on the table and then behind him for a split second, telling Layn he was right.

Layn nodded. "You think this is a trap so you brought back up. Behind me. Maybe the former Alpha or maybe a Sorrentino. I'm not familiar with the scent so I am not sure. This isn't a trap. I'm not a killer. The truth is I have no one to teach me how to do this. I've changed a few times and it terrifies me. I want to do thing…things I know I can't. I need help. That's what the pack is for. Help," Layn said, appealing to Elena directly.

Behind Layn an older werewolf stepped directly behind him and set his hands on the boy's shoulders. Layn stiffened and looked at Clay and then Elena.

"I only want help," Layn said calmly but fear was zipping through his mind. Even if he was young it was not a good time to reach out to the pack. There had been too many murders, too much suspicion and too many unwarranted attacks on the pack lately. It was the worst timing possible but also the best Layn knew. Prove to them he was as good as his word during this time and he was as good as gold.

"Where did you get the gun?" she finally asked. Layn looked at the gun now in their possession and then thought quickly about the lies he could tell but just as quickly settled on the truth.

"I stole it," Layn said simply and Elena nodded but didn't look pleased.

As Elena asked questions, Clay went through more of his belongings, specifically his wallet, and took out the cards, looking them over and showing Elena now.

"And the cards? Is everything stolen?" she asked. Again, Layn settled on the truth. He had heard werewolves could smell lies but he wasn't sure. Still, the risk wasn't worth it.

"Yeah," he admitted but didn't elaborate. Clay gave him a look and then picked up the bag and dumped it upside-down, dislodging the contents in the bottom and the open pockets. A pocket knife thumped onto the table along with some granola bars, some change and a bag filled with white powder. Now that did surprise Layn. He definitely didn't put that in there, but then again he hadn't packed his bag either.

"We don't do drugs. There are small children in the pack. This will get you kicked out with no second chances and no chance to explain. Same with the gun," Elena said in a hard voice. Layn nodded.

"I don't suppose I can say I stole those to sell as well. That might sound too much like a lie," the young wolf said, but neither werewolf looked amused. Instead Clay took the bag and opened it, sniffing. With a nod at Elena he stood and walked a few feet before dumping the contents and letting them scatter to the wind.

Elena looked up at the person behind Layn and then at Clay walking back before turning to the young werewolf again. "You're on probation. Reese, you can let him go," Elena ordered now. Immediately the hands left Layn's shoulders and he relaxed, reaching for his things and starting to shove them back in his bag.

"Where are your parents? Your father is supposed to teach you these things," Clay said now, sitting down. The man behind Layn walked around the picnic table and to Elena and Clay, showing himself. He was younger than Layn thought with wavy blonde hair and model looks. He didn't smile at Layn, taking his general tone from the older wolves.

Layn zipped his bag shut and stood when they did, glimpsing someone walking towards them from the trees. This one was older than the rest and dark haired with slight Asian attributes. Layn ignored them for now and answered Clay.

"If you did research on me then you know more about me than I do." He shrugged. Layn tried not to speak of his parents or even think about them. He had not particular feeling towards them because he had never known them. No, he knew that wasn't true. His feelings towards them were of an angry nature mostly but, again, not thinking about them was preferable.

Layn walked forward a step but was quickly stopped by a hand on his shoulder again. He wanted to growl and twist away or strike out, but what he did was stop and stand perfectly still. The young werewolf waited as the man he previously described continued to walk towards him and stopped a few feet in front of him. Was this the man who would kill him? Was this all a trick? Or did he judge the situation wrong? Even if he did there was nothing he could do about it. One experienced werewolf against one inexperienced one was unfair and four werewolves against one was impossible. He would die very quickly if they wanted him to.

When Layn looked up again he saw the man was studying him. He wasn't what you would call a handsome man, but Layn could tell this was a man that no one should mess with. His eyes alone held untold years of cunning and intelligence. As much as you didn't want to mess with a strong experienced werewolf, an intelligent one could be much worse than that.

The young werewolf half expected the man to say some cheesy movie line when he was done studying him, but all he did was nod and turn to Clay and Elena. Without a word they all moved forward. Maybe the man could tell things about him, Layn thought as they walked but he didn't put much thought into it. He had to think about the here and now if he wanted to survive and complete this mission. A mission he should not technically be thinking about just in case.

He tolerated the guy who was only a few years older than him walking behind him along with Clay while he walked behind Elena and the other man. He considered spilling everything right then and there at that point. Telling them who he really was and why he was really here, but he didn't have the guts. He felt brave but he knew he wasn't. If he ended this now he doubted the pack would be able to protect him, at least not forever. No, he had to stick with the plan.

"Do I get to know who everyone else is?" Layn asked politely as they crossed a road and walked towards the parking lot. Elena looked back at him and then at the man she was walking with, but no one spoke until they got to the only other vehicle besides Layn's motorcycle in the parking lot.

"I'm Jeremy Danvers and this is Reese Williams," the man with the Asian eyes said, introducing himself and the other guy as well. Layn only stared at the man for a moment before looking away with an almost blush. Jeremy Danvers was legendary and he was screwed if this man figured out who he was. It wasn't as if he didn't know that this man was part of the pack. He'd just have to be careful.

"Reese, you're driving the motorcycle," Elena said and held out her hand for the keys. Layn looked from her to the expressionless guy with a frown but he obeyed. Reluctantly he gave over the keys and watched uncomfortably as the guy turned and walked towards his most prized possession.

"Don't worry. The Sorrentinos have a few at home. He knows how to drive," Elena assured and Layn nodded, not having another choice. It was yet another thing that made him want to run. Sensing this perhaps, Layn felt a hand on his shoulder and sniffed discreetly to see who it was. Jeremy. Uneasily he let the man lead him to the SUV. He opened the door and gestured for the younger wolf to get in. Layn obeyed deeply uncomfortable, suddenly feeling as if maybe he was being driven to his death and not getting help.

He stayed silent though, waiting for the others to have a word with one another and give instructions to Reese before getting in themselves. To Layn's displeasure Clay placed himself in the back with him while Elena drove and Jeremy sat in the passenger seat.

Layn stayed silent, though a million questions went through his mind. Where were they going? What was happening? What did they even think of him? As much as he tried to quite his mind and his fear, it raged. Having Clay so close didn't help at all of course, and not knowing anything was even worse. Layn always needed to know everything but living with the pack would probably mean he would know nothing.

No one spoke as they drove which the young werewolf figured was already agreed upon before he met them. Maybe they were testing him. He'd never been good at tests, but maybe he wasn't meant to pass this one. He couldn't say he trusted them, but they didn't trust him either so it was even he figured.

Layn was thrown from his thoughts as they came to an abrupt stop much sooner than he thought they would. Fear filled him once again as he looked up to see Reese leaning against the motorcycle and waiting for them. He looked around to see trees. They seemed to have gone off the beaten track and were now in the middle of nowhere. Was this where it was supposed to end? Maybe they already knew who he really was and were about to demonstrate their power.

"Get out," Clay ordered beside him. Slowly Layn looked at him but could find no different emotions. Was he really surprised? This man was renowned as being a psychopath so why did he figure his emotions would be a clue. Did he even have emotions? It didn't seem like it.

Finally Layn made himself move. He left his bag in the car and fingered the necklace around his neck. He'd had it for as long as he could remember. It seemed to be the only constant in his life. He had no idea what it meant but it was solid gold circular symbol with a line vertically through the middle. He had always felt it might protect him and he certainly needed that the most right then.

"Where are we going?" Layn asked Elena now. The woman looked at him with what Layn thought was half mistrust but half pity as well. That almost made him turn and run right there but instead he took a deep and shaky breath and followed when she gestured. Elena went first and Layn followed her. Close behind him Clay, Jeremy and Reese followed. They walked for a quarter of a mile before the smell hit him on a breeze. Layn froze knowing it was decay.

"Keep going," Clay ordered from behind him and gave him a bit of a push. Layn swallowed and stumbled forward again walking slowly but catching up with Elena at the head of a cleared area. He stepped inside and smelled more of what he had before, but the first thing he noticed was the bright sunlight shining down on the scene like it was a voice from god, like it was illuminating a family scene in a picture book.

The scene before him, however, was dramatically different than a childhood picture book. A body, he couldn't tell if it was a man or woman, adult or teenager, because it was in so many bloody pieces. He couldn't even tell if it was all there. A lot of it had clearly been eaten and there were giant paw tracks as well. If this was an official crime scene they would have declared that it was a wolf kill.

Layn didn't have to fake his reaction. Immediately he fell to his knees and let go of everything in his stomach, gripping the grass and dirt with closed, hard fists. When he was done he gasped for breath and kept his eyes closed, trying not let his stomach make him try and be sick again.

"I'm sorry we had to expose you to this," he heard close beside him. "We had to know if you had anything to do with this and I couldn't trust your word," Elena said more gently now. Layn wiped his mouth and looked over at her now with disgust and a touch of anger in his eyes. She didn't seem surprised, but she only held out a bottle of water to him. Layn nodded gratefully and took the water, opening it and taking a gulp to swish around in his mouth and spit it out again.

Shakily he started to stand and felt a strong hand wrap around his upper arm and pull him up. Layn nodded gratefully to Reese who nodded back now. Did that mean he was a bit more accepted? A bit more tolerated?

"Reese, take Layn back to the hotel. Stay with him," Elena ordered. Reese nodded, and keeping a hand on Layn's arm, he guided him back the way they had come.

"What are they doing?" the younger werewolf finally found himself able to ask after a shaky few minutes of silence. Reese didn't answer right away, but when he did Layn noticed for the first time he had an accent. He figured it was Australian or New Zealander but he didn't ask.

"You know what they're doing," he answered simply. Layn nodded as they approached the SUV and he willingly he got inside and waited for him to get in the driver's side and go. It suddenly occurred to the younger wolf that they must trust him to a small degree or they wouldn't leave him alone with one pack member. Not that he could beat this particular pack member. This guy was muscled and Layn could tell he'd had his share of fights. He assumed he was either an enforcer or an enforcer in training.

The drive to the hotel was silent except for the other wolf flipping channels but finding nothing but bad country and a few jazz stations. They pulled into a small hotel, but a nice one and Layn waited for Reese to take his cue on what to do. The older werewolf got out and Layn reached behind the seat and grabbed his bag before following.

"Room 22," Reese said and gestured to the door. "Go there and nowhere else," he ordered. Layn nodded and walked forward, fingering his bag nervously. This guy definitely meant business.

Layn moved through the lobby and towards the hallway. They were on the first floor for a reason. It meant a good escape route with only a 10 foot drop. Normally they liked to be a little higher up, but the hotel was small and first floor was the main floor with hotel rooms while the top held offices rented out by locals. Layn couldn't tell, though, if this was the normal kind of hotel the pack would choose or not. He personally hadn't stayed in hotels much in his life.

The younger wolf stopped in front of the door and glanced at Reese who produced a key card and flicked it across the scanner in seconds. In another second he had taken Layn's shoulder and pushed him into the room, closing the door behind him. Layn wanted to push back or ask the guy why he was in such a hurry. Instead he growled lowly and said two words that might just get him killed.

"Fuck off," he said lowly, glowering up at Reese. The man had a good three or four inches on Layn. In seconds he was up against the wall being pinned in place by the guy's arms. Shit, he had lost control. He had been so good at keeping his temper. He was such an idiot.

"Want to repeat that?" Reese asked and Layn shook his head now, looking at the floor. "Respect then. If you pull that shit on any of them, no one will save your stupid ass," he hissed. Layn nodded now and murmured an apology before the man let him go.

"I thought I was a bit more trusted now," Layn said, trying to diffuse the tension. Reese snorted and walked to the mini fridge in the room, pulling out a beer. He glanced at Layn for a moment and thought better of his choice, setting the beer aside and pulling out two pops instead. Almost before Layn could wonder what was going on Reese threw him one of the cans and told him to sit. He obeyed and sat, setting his bag down and sitting on the bed, watching Reese. The other wolf appeared casual and sat down in a chair across the room, slumping without a care in the world it seemed to Layn. He knew for a fact the other wolf was only trying to appear casual though, because he felt slight anxiety even if Reese kept it hidden well.

"So what happens now? Is this where I make a decision to live or die?" Layn prompted him. Reese's gaze slid from the window he was watching to Layn now. His eyes were dead serious. To Layn's surprise he nodded at the question.

"When I first met the pack I had to make the same decision. Choose life. I did and I don't regret it. Fuck up and it doesn't matter how young you are. They aren't giving second chances anymore," he informed. Layn nodded knowing this. Maybe the pack used to be a bit nicer, but too many threats and too many losses, or almost losses, had sobered them. They weren't messing around anymore. Not that they ever did, but one of their members was still in a coma and they weren't sure if they would make it. One of them was permanently damaged. This was common knowledge. Layn knew he had to be very careful around them, especially if he wanted his plan to work.

Neither Layn nor Reese said anything more until Layn noticed Reese's eyes register relief. A few minutes later a knock came on the door and Layn watched as the pack wolf got up to let the rest in, checking to see if it was the pack first. Layn thought that was dumb because he had seen them in the parking lot, but maybe he was just being cautious. Every precaution seemed to be observed now, Layn noticed. The three other wolves came in looking dirtier but not much worse for wear.

"We need to get cleaned up and then we'll get home. We've left them without everyone for too long," Elena said. The rest of them obeyed, but Layn could tell that they had discussed the plan beforehand, or more likely Elena had told them what would happen shortly before hand.

"Is there any way too…ah…" Layn said but then stopped at the look Clay gave him. Layn understood. Right then they were getting ready to go and wanted to get home. They didn't need him distracting them with silly questions. Instead he looked down at his hands and the half-finished pop can. Elena made an annoyed sound and told Layn to go on. Layn looked up again and glanced at Clay for a moment before letting his gaze wander to Elena. "I just wondered if it was possible to take my motorcycle is all, but it's not important," he finished glancing at Jeremy who was just coming out of the washroom freshly washed.

"If it's important to you then it is important," she said, sounding like a mother for a moment. "Yes, we'll put in the back of the SUV. I'd like be home in a few hours though," She said telling everyone they didn't have long. In one second she went from someone Layn may have trusted easily to the Alpha again he was quite frankly terrified of.

While they waited for the others to get cleaned up, Clay took Layn's file and read it over along with Jeremy. The only reason he'd stolen his file from…them…was so that he didn't have to sit and explain things better left unsaid, things that were either too hard or maybe annoying to talk about. It was only after that he thought about them being suspicious about why he would have a file. Clearly he didn't make the file himself so they may wonder who did. Layn decided it was a stupid move and he should have thought it through more. No use trying to change it now but still. He had to be more careful.

"You're Canadian?" Jeremy asked softly and Layn nodded. He knew that Elena was Canadian as well. Maybe that would endear him to her, but he didn't think so. Nothing seemed to endear new members to the pack very quickly nowadays. Not after everything they had been through.

"We'll have people from all over in the pack now, Canadian, American and Australian," Elena said hearing the conversation and joining in. Layn glanced over at Reese now, knowing his guess was right. Reese's blue eyes met Layn's green-blue ones and Layn almost swore the other wolf wanted to growl, but the feeling was gone in the blink of an eye and Reese just looked like a normal guy now and a guy who didn't want to rip his throat out which was nice. He got the feeling talking about Australia was a big no-no with this guy and decided he would never bring it up again as long as he lived. That might not be very long though.

"Before we go you might want to address an issue," Reese said now, telling them about what had happened. Layn sighed mentally and looked at the bedspread. He had hoped that Reese would understand that Layn got the message and he would feel no need to tell them. That was stupid however, because Elena would need to know everything and this was definitely something she would need to know.

When he looked up again he saw Elena and Clay's cool gazes on him. Jeremy looked none too happy either, but Layn figured as former Alpha he didn't need to worry about Layn's behaviour as much.

"Pull that shit on another pack member and I will let them teach you the lesson you deserve," Elena said. Respect was not something to be taken lightly in the pack since hierarchy was everything. It also had to do with trusting one another to have your back and that meant respect as well. Layn felt he had a lot to learn now.

"Sorry, I'm just on edge," Layn apologized directly to Elena. She nodded after a few moments and then turned to the others, telling them it was time to go. Did that mean Layn was forgiven? He hoped so. He also hoped he wasn't so stupid to mess up again either.

The next few hours passed in a series of seconds it seemed to Layn. They left, they drove and Layn half dozed as the hours went by. Under the cover of darkness they crossed the New York State line and made it to the location the pack stayed at. Layn could not have said where they were or how to get there at all, but he figured that's how they wanted it. No one was supposed to know where they lived, beyond being in their territory of New York State.

The house was stone. It was the first and only thing Layn noticed through bleary eyes and darkness when they arrived.

"Tomorrow you can meet them. Tonight you should sleep," Elena said. He found it interesting that mostly it was Elena giving the orders, but he knew that orders and inputs could come from any of the senior pack members. Layn wondered how far one could take things. Was everyone allowed to order him around or just her? He was sure? He would find out soon.

Layn followed them in noticing that two stayed in front of him and two behind him. In the hallway he spotted two men who looked alike. Both were dark haired and dark eyed and looked close in age but one was taller and one was shorter with so much muscle that Layn stopped and stared for a moment.

"Sorrentinos, they don't bite," Reese said with a bit of humour in his voice.

Layn nodded and looked away now as another younger wolf came down the stairs. He looked a bit like the Sorrentinos and a year or two younger than Layn. He knew who this was. Noah…this was Noah Sorrentino, but he used to be an Albright and then Stillwell. Layne couldn't help the words that burst from him upon seeing Noah. This other boy was a part of everything going on and he had no idea. He had no idea how important he was.

"I know your dad," Layn said and then cursed himself as all eyes turned towards him. Layn cursed himself immediately. He was tired so he messed up, or still nervous. Sometimes he just lost confidence when he was nervous and said stupid things. It would get him killed if he didn't learn to be smarter. "I mean…I met him once. He…" Layn said before Noah interrupted him.

"I don't give a damn what he did or what he does," Noah said and abruptly turned, going back upstairs with quick steps. Thank goodness or Layn's stupidity would have gotten the better of him and he would have spilled much more than he knew. He had to get better at this or the game would be over much sooner than he knew.

"Noah," one of the Sorrentino men, the taller one, said sharply. The boy on the stairs winced and threw the man an apologetic look, though he was still plenty angry, before continuing up the stairs. The older werewolf was definitely giving him a "we will talk later" look. Layn cursed himself again. He was definitely not the right person to be here doing this. Jay should have chosen someone smarter or older, but Layn was the youngest and the closest to Noah's age. It had to be this way.

"Where is Dennis Stillwell?" Clay suddenly growled and grabbed Layn's shoulder. Layn cried out at the sharp pain and wrenched back, looking up at the man. He knew some of the trouble had come from his end and he had been the stupidest idiot to say anything.

"I don't…don't know anymore. It was a while ago," Layn said, looking from the man's angry eyes to Elena's in a silent plea.

"Clay, let him go and go cool down. Nick, take him," Elena ordered now. It took a minute but Clay finally let him go and took a step back, letting who Layn presumed was Nick take his shoulder. He shrugged it off after a moment and then turned and stalked out unhappily with Nick at his heels.

"I'm sorry. I should have known to shut the fuck up, especially about pack traitors," Layn said and rubbed his bruised shoulder. He looked from Elena to Reese who looked none too happy and then back to the Alpha again.

"It's a bad topic so don't mention it around Noah or Clay again," Layn heard from the unknown man who he had seen upon coming inside. Layn nodded and looked apologetic. Again the order did not come from Elena, but an older pack member. He was as confused as hell about this hierarchy thing. What was ok and what wasn't? He knew being a born werewolf meant he was born to understand it, but right now it was just confusing. Maybe understanding came with time.

"We do need to know about him though," Elena prompted.

"Um, yeah…I saw him last a few months back. He's…he's kind of crazy. Most of us stayed away from him, but he asks everyone he meets about Noah. That's how I know about him." Layn informed them. Elena nodded then and looked at Reese and the older man. Neither of them looked happy about this new bit of information. Someone may try and come after Noah so it was not a good thing.

"Layn, this is Antonio Sorrentino and that was his son, Nick," Elena mentioned before turning to Reese. Layn looked at the man who gave a small nod before the Alpha went on. "Reese, take him upstairs. He'll sleep with you and Noah," she ordered dismissively. Layn inwardly winced at that. It would not endear him to Noah anymore. That was sure. Layn nodded and waited for Reese to turn and go before he did. Behind them he heard Elena tell the others they needed to speak. Layn would have given anything to listen in, but he didn't dare. They already suspected him he was sure.

Layn followed the other wolf upstairs and down the hallway. There were five rooms and in one he saw two children sleeping. They looked like Clay and Elena so he figured the kids were theirs, but the pack would have been tight lipped about that. He been so nervous his brain had catalogued the extra female scent as Elena when he smelled it, but now he sniffed again and figured out it belonged to a little girl, a little girl who was a werewolf. That was odd but the kid was definitely Elena and Clay's as well as the boy. If word got out about a child girl werewolf, the pack would be in a lot of trouble. Somehow this mission seemed doubly impossible.

Reese knocked on the door of the last room and slipped in with Layn following. He set his bag inside the door as soon as they were inside and looked around. King sized bed, dressers and desk as well as a bathroom. Layn's eyes drifted back to Noah who sat on the bed typing on his laptop. Layn knew to gain this boy's trust and do what he came here to do he needed to start now. It was important.

"I'm really sorry, Noah," he began but Noah looked up with a glare at him and Layn stopped.

"I don't care if you saw that asshole or spoke to him. Never mention it again to me, understand?" he asked and Layn nodded. Layn was actually a bit surprised at Noah's brazen attitude. Jay had told him Noah was quiet and not likely to speak out. He was a follower and not a leader, but he was clearly speaking out now. Maybe Noah was just older now or he was taking direction from the older wolves. Layn wasn't sure. Reese walked forward and set a hand on Noah's shoulder now. Reese murmured for Noah to chill a bit, but that didn't stop the angry waves he felt from the other boy. Layn knew he had fucked up, but hopefully he'd have a chance to redeem himself. Noah was the key to this.


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story _**Enraptured**_.

**Layn**

Layn's mother and father stood in front of him, both holding out their hands to him. When he reached for them he realized he was looking up at them and had hands the size of a toddler's. His mother and father frowned and both bent down to his level to whisper something to him. Layn pushed himself closer to hear, but suddenly his mother grabbed the side of his face and started screaming. Layn tried to pull back as her face suddenly started to melt. He managed to jerk back and look at his father whose face had begun to melt as well.

Suddenly Layn jerked awake and tried to take a gasping breath, bringing a hand to his heart and feeling it pound a mile a minute. Sweat dripped down his face as he tried to orient himself. Beside him Noah shifted on the bed and groaned, but across the room the door opened and the man Antonio stood looking around the room. Reese sat up then meeting the man's eyes and they both turned to look at Layn who coloured.

"Sorry," Layn murmured and stood, stumbling towards the bathroom. He closed the door and turned on the cold water, splashing his face. He sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. His tanned skin and blue-green eyes stared out at him for a moment. His dark hair glinted in the bathroom light looking lighter before his face suddenly started to dissolve and melt like in his nightmare. Layn jumped back with a cry and then felt sick for the second time that day. He turned to the toilet just in time to get rid of whatever he hadn't gotten rid of before.

Behind him he heard the door open and someone saying something but he couldn't pay attention. He was nervous with unknown people so close and him being so weak, but there was nothing he could do. Finally he took a deep breath and flushed the toilet, wiping his mouth. He slowly stood and looked at the doorway where Antonio stood with crossed arms and behind him Noah and Reese looked sleepily in at him.

"Dreams about changing are common and brutal," Antonio said. Layn nodded, not elaborating, and turned towards the sink to wash out his mouth and brush his teeth. Sleep would not be possible tonight. Dreams often chased away what little sleep he managed to get which was probably why he was so jumpy most of the time.

Layn was not comfortable with sleeping in a room filled with unfamiliar werewolves, especially ones who seemed to not like him that much, but he had no choice. It seemed like he didn't have a lot of choice in his life now. Finishing at the sink, the young werewolf turned towards the main room again to see Reese and Noah had already gone back to bed. Antonio stood by the window and looked as if he was watching the woods. Without a word Layn left the room and headed down the hallway and downstairs. He hadn't seen the kitchen when he came in, but he quickly found it by sniffing the way.

He looked around at the stainless steel surfaces and sighed. He wasn't used to this kind of life. He'd grown up with everything barely working and everything new was second hand. What he heard about the pack was true. They had money. He was a tad bit resentful, but he pushed that aside and opened the fridge to find a variety of drinks. He chose a beer, popped the top and took a long gulp. Hopefully it would settle his nerves. In an instant he was able to relax. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to be up and walking around, but he shrugged and passed barefoot from the room anyway, walking down the hallway and ending in the living room or study, depending on who was in it he supposed.

Layn looked around the room at some pictures and knickknacks before he walked towards the bookshelf and examined the books. A lot of them were in different languages. He passed those and picked up a history book, walking back to the couch and opening it up to get his mind off everything going on inside his head. He took another sip of beer and started flipping through the book, managing to read one sentence before he heard soft almost silent footsteps. Unsurprised he looked up to see Antonio in the doorway watching him.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep," Layn offered and took another large gulp of beer. The man nodded and walked into the room now, sitting on the couch opposite him. Layn nervously sat back on the couch and fingered his beer can looking at the wall across the way. He read the title of the book as this man continued to watch him. He didn't dare speak first in case that was inappropriate. Who knew what was and wasn't appropriate in the pack?

"So what have you heard about the pack?" Antonio asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence. Layn immediately felt a new wave of uneasiness break over him and he took another drink before answering.

"The usual," Layn answered and got a look from the Italian man now. "That it's best to steer clear of the psy…of Clay. That I should keep my mouth shut and do as I'm told and that I can't break the rules. That the Alpha is one of the toughest the pack has had even if she is a woman. Most of all just to keep my mouth shut. Oh, and that you're all as serious as balls so not to mess with anyone," he said. Antonio looked at Layn for a moment seriousness written on every line of his face before he smiled and gave a small chuckle.

"We're not going to eat you, kid. Yeah, lately it's been…anyway," he said, thinking better of telling Layn pack problems or secrets so soon. "You're not exactly trusted, but we won't bite either. Not unless you give us sufficient cause," he said and Layn nodded. He didn't plan on giving them sufficient cause.

"Ok," Layn said, taking another sip of beer and finishing it off. Without thinking about it, he crushed the can and set it on the coffee table and then turned red when Antonio looked at him. "I'll recycle it before bed," he promised and the man nodded now.

"So, Rumancek? Is that a Romani name?" the older werewolf asked. Layn grinned then and chuckled himself.

"No one has ever been so polite when referring to me as a Gypsy," he smiled. "Yeah, it's a gypsy name but I'm half Italian too. That's why I am so dark," the younger werewolf mentioned, referring to his tanned skin, hair and eyes. The man nodded then and went silent again. Layn started speaking again without realizing it. This man seemed to pull things from people without even trying. "When I was younger they used to call me names like 'no good gypsy' or 'stealing thief,' but I never understood, not until I looked up what it meant. Not that I really understand what it means. No one ever taught me," Layn said and then cursed himself for speaking so much.

"Um, it must have been…difficult," Antonio said. Layn nodded and looked down at the can of beer. Silence descended again, but Layn refused to breach it now. Finally the older werewolf bade Layn goodnight and told him he should try and sleep again. Layn nodded and watched the man go, not intending to sleep. Instead he lay back on the couch and picked up the book again, figuring it was only a few hours before dawn and he could reasonably get up then.

A few minutes later Layn heard voices, specifically two children chattering quite close to him. When had they gotten here? Layn wondered but kept still.

"Who is he, momma?" a little boy's voice asked. God dammit, he had fallen asleep on the couch.

"A new werewolf, you both need to be careful around him. Just like when Noah and Reese joined us. We don't know him yet, ok?" Elena asked. Very motherly, Layn thought as he lay there listening to them get ready. Papers rustled and backpacks were zipped. A little girl reminded her mother she had singing practice after school followed by the boy who mentioned he had science club. Finally she was able to shuffle them and their belongings to the foyer and get them out the door for school Layn presumed.

After the door banged shut Layn unfroze but quickly refroze again with new voices. "Antonio. I thought the boys slept in the guest room," a voice asked. He thought it was Jeremy's but he wasn't sure. The scent told him seconds later he was right though.

"Yeah, kid had a bad dream I think," the man answered and relayed the conversation. The younger werewolf listened hoping he would hear some new information, but both wolves were very careful to keep their conversation contained. Either they knew he was awake or they were just being careful. Layn was hoping they would leave the room soon, but only Antonio left eventually to wake up the boys. Jeremy sat somewhere in the room and rustled some papers. Layn knew it was now or never so he sighed and rolled over, rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning. The couch is not a normal sleeping place, Layn. I trust you will find the bed from now on?" Jeremy asked. Layn looked over at him and nodded a bit sheepishly. He hadn't meant to sleep there, especially if it was against the rules.

"Um, sorry, can I get some food?" he asked now. The man nodded and looked at the beer can on the coffee table. Quickly Layn stood and grabbed the garbage, hurrying from the room. He sighed in relief as he left the presence of this powerful man and headed towards the kitchen where he smelt food cooking. He hadn't eaten since the afternoon before and he had thrown that up twice yesterday. Once Layn reached the doorway he froze again, watching Nick and Clay joke around with one another and cook food. Pancakes, bacon, hash browns and everything else considered to be part of a normal family breakfast. They didn't notice the younger werewolf for a few moments until Layn accidently dropped the beer can and swore as both of the older wolves looked at him. He blushed again and reached for the can as Nick smiled slightly but Clay's expression stayed neutral.

"Sorry. Jeremy said I could get some food. I can cook my own though…" Layn said, walking to the recycling bin and throwing in his can. Clay said nothing and turned to the frying pan again which Layn took to mean he was on his own, but Nick smiled and shook his head.

"No, this is for everyone," Nick assured and gestured to a plate. The younger wolf smiled slightly, seeing that while Nick smiled it was a fake smile. He might be alright with Layn being here, but there was no trust at all. Not like the smile he turned on Noah and Reese when they came in. That made Layn feel like shit, but he said nothing and tried not to put too much feeling into it. These people were not friends or family and eventually he had to betray them. He best get that thought in his head before it was too late. There was no family here. No love. Nothing for him.

Layn nodded to the boys as they walked to the island counter sleepily and readied plates of food. Layn went after them and took a plate piling on some food neither boy had gotten to yet. In normal human society this would be typical, but Layn kept forgetting he wasn't in human society anymore the move earned him a look from Reese who shrugged it off but a glare from Noah. Quickly Layn backed off and waited. Hierarchy here was all important.

He needed to be alert and on his guard here. Layn followed the boys to the dining room and studied the seating arrangements. Noah and Reese were further down the table and he knew he would need to sit down the table from them. He chose a seat one away from Noah and close to the end hoping this was ok. When no one said a word he looked around and waited for everyone else to begin first. Hierarchy was very important he knew.

Through the rest of the day he made sure to observe these hierarchy rituals and always let everyone go before him or waited for permission. From the looks Noah was giving him he knew he hadn't won a friendship there, but Reese seemed ok with him at least. It was only when Layn was coming out of the bathroom later freshly showered and looking for clothes that Noah showed his true colours though. Layn stepped into the room and immediately noticed that the door was shut and Noah was sitting on the bed with crossed arms. Immediately he got up when he saw Layn and walked towards him. The other werewolf used his better instincts and backed into a corner with his head down, not wanting a fight.

"Don't. Ever. Mention. Joseph. Again," Noah hissed, annunciating every word. Layn, fairly cowed at that point, only nodded and waited to be let go. After a moment he looked up to see Noah had both arms braced on the walls on either side of Layn and was watching him. Noah was slightly taller than Layn and had a few more pounds of muscle than the other boy as well. He seemed to be waiting for a response so Layn nodded again.

"Ok. Sorry," he said, looking at his eyes for one moment and then away again establishing that Noah was more dominant and in charge. Layn waited with baited breath and finally Noah pushed away from him just as the door opened and Nick walked in with Reese.

Both immediately felt the tension and looked from one boy to the other. Noah only grinned a secret grin and Layn looked away, turning from them and going for his clothes now. Nick and Reese looked at one another now, but Nick silently told Reese to wait for later. They could get anything out of Noah they knew, but Layn was a different story. They didn't know the boy yet so caution was warranted.

"We're going to do a little practice run, boys. Change into something appropriate," Nick told them both. Noah smiled his approval at this and immediately went to the chest of drawers they kept there to get his workout clothes. Only Noah, Reese and Antonio kept their clothes in this room though. Nick took up the whole closet in Elena's room which she willingly gave him finding her stuff barely filled a few feet of space anyway. This is what Layn learned as they teased Nick about this. The man did seem to like his clothes, Layn thought.

Layn nodded and dug out his usual jeans and t-shirt, pulling them on and turning to the older men. He ignored their disapproving looks and crossed his arms looking towards the window instead. He only had the one pair of jeans for pants and a few shirts. It's not like he had many options. Not like rich pack members who could just buy anything, his mind hissed but he quickly clamped it shut. This was no time to be resentful. That wouldn't get him anywhere.

They met Elena, Clay, Antonio and Jeremy outside in a cleared spot near the woods and away from the house. There were two new wolves, one with a missing arm and one who looked a bit sick, there as well but no one introduced them so Layn ignored them for now. It seemed everyone wanted to see how good or bad Layn was which made him uneasy. He was never very good with attention and he had been getting plenty the last week. First, when he had to find an Interracial Council member to get them to contact the pack and now being with the pack. Attention always made him feel as if everyone else disapproved.

"Layn, can you fight?" Elena asked now. Layn considered this question for half a heartbeat before he shook his head. He was actually a good fighter for his age and size, or so he was told, but it was best to downplay everything here. Jay's advice, not his own, or he probably would have showed them how good he was, or he thought he was anyway. "Alright, Noah, you're going to help us test out Layn's abilities. Don't go full power but don't make it easy," the Alpha commanded. Noah nodded and stepped into the middle of the circle. With more uneasiness Layn followed and watched Noah for any signs of when he would make his move. Layn knew not to move first but he also knew he couldn't look totally stupid either.

In a flash Noah charged and Layn made himself stay still, feigning fear with wide eyes. Layn tried to duck out of the way at the last second, but Noah took him down. Both boys ended up beside one another where Layn took the advantage and rolled on top of Noah, throwing a weak punch which the other boy blocked. In a second Noah grabbed Layn's arm and rolled with him, punching him in the jaw and kneeing him in the stomach.

Layn lay there breathing heavily and clutching the grass and dirt beneath him. When he struggled up he knew a good amount of that grass and dirt covered his cheek and the side of his face. Noah looked at Elena now who gestured for them to go on. Layn was the first one to charge this time, but Noah was able to move out of the way and grab Layn's shirt, swinging him around and throwing him to the ground. Layn rolled, or tried to, but Noah had him easily pinned and threw another few punches. Layn tried to block unsuccessfully, finding it was much harder to pretend not to be able to fight than to actually fight.

Finally Layn saw an opening and punched Noah in his unprotected stomach, feeling the boy's muscles resist, but it still took the air from him. Noah growled but kept going, not waiting for another opportunity, and suddenly Layn was the one who was breathless when Noah tried the same move with more success. Layn's attack was automatic. His knee went up and caught Noah in the soft inner thigh area, very close to an area that would have hurt much more, and he fell back with a grunt.

Layn had one second to glimpse how the werewolves around him were reacting to this and what he saw fueled his urge to keep going on this track. He could tell Clay was thinking that Layn sucked and had a lot of work to accomplish and none of the rest of them looked impressed either. He was doing a good job pretending then. Or, on the other hand, they realized he was pretending and were not letting him know. He wished he could read thoughts right then.

He turned his attention back to the fight then and landed on top of Noah, grabbing his hair, remembering past school yard fights, and slamming his head into the ground but not hard enough to do any real damage. That would have given Layn away which he didn't want. In seconds it seemed Noah was grabbing Layn's shirt and pushing back. Layn didn't remember turning as he fell, but suddenly he was on his stomach on the ground and Noah had landed on his back near his knees and a little further down from where he was originally aiming. Suddenly pain ripped through Layn's knee and he cried out involuntarily as Noah put pressure on the wound and grabbed the other boy's hair from behind, smashing his face into the ground as pay back.

"Enough," Elena ordered and Noah immediately let go and got up. Layn lay there trying to catch his breath and smelling the tang of blood in the air. He spit out grass and dirt and brought his hand up to wipe his mouth, feeling a bit resentful. "Get him turned over," he heard Elena order next, the pain made him a bit confused. He felt strong hands on him and suddenly he was on his back, looking up at the sky and coughing. Pretending not to know how to fight was definitely harder, Layn thought angrily.

The injured werewolf sat up a bit then, bracing himself on his elbow to see Jeremy and Elena on the ground looking at his knee which had a large piece of sharp rock sticking in much further than it should have been. Antonio was by his head and had a hand on his arm, most likely unconsciously, Layn thought but he didn't care. The comfort felt good at least. The stain of blood on his jeans was getting larger and half the fabric was torn in half.

"I need my medical kit. Let's get him inside," Jeremy said looking over at Layn now and studying his eyes. The young werewolf knew the man was studying him for signs of shock, but Layn only looked calmly back, trying to smoulder the anger in his eyes.

"Can you walk?" Elena asked. Layn nodded, but Jeremy interrupted with an order for Tonio. Layn ignored him and tried to struggle up but grimaced in pain as soon as he even tried to use the leg. Before Layn knew what was happening, the man had pulled him up and was fully carrying him. Layn immediately wanted to resist but he stayed still. Jeremy had ordered the man to carry him after all to make sure he didn't bleed any more than necessary. He still felt like this was unnecessary though.

Behind them Layn glimpsed Noah looking not much the worse for wear talking to Nick animatedly as Nick gestured to Layn. Maybe the other boy was in trouble, but Layn didn't see how. No one saw the rock. The pack would have chosen a new place if they had.

"Almost there," Antonio said encouragingly and Layn nodded surprised. None of them had really been nice to him but maybe they felt bad. Not that they had been mean to him, but it was more like they wanted to keep him a distance, be kind but not warm just in case they had to dispose of him or if he was lying. They were right to be cautious, Layn knew but he also knew it was his job to make them trust him. Maybe his injury would help. Maybe it wouldn't. The pain was better now that no pressure was on it, but he had a high tolerance and his head was clear. He knew as soon as he walked that clearness would go away though.

They made it into the house and the bathroom where the man set Layn down and then backed up, letting Elena and Jeremy take over. Layn knew Jeremy was the pack doctor of sorts so this made sense. Minutes later the man had cut Layn's jeans off on one leg and had cleaned the wound, making Layn hiss, more like a cat than a wolf, when he applied disinfectant. The worst part was of course the stiches, but like any good doctor Jeremy distracted the young werewolf with a story about the time he himself needed stiches and Elena had to give them to him but she hadn't really known how. That made Layn smile his first real smile there unawares as he watched the man bandage the wound as well, taking all precautious.

"I'm sorry, Layn. I didn't know the rock was there," Elena apologized. Layne shrugged then, knowing none of them meant to kill him by rock stabbing. Neck breaking was much more effective with much less blood. That was how they preferred to do it anyway.

"I'll get you another pair of pants," Antonio said then but stopped when Layn mentioned he had no more while looking at the man's eyes. He refused to be ashamed of this fact. He'd always been a kid who only had a few second hand things and just how it was. Some were born to gold and others to gutters. He wouldn't let them feel sorry for him. He wasn't five years old anymore.

"He's Noah's size just about" They heard from outside and a pair of sweat pants was thrown into the bathroom. Layn hesitated knowing Noah wouldn't like this, but he had no other choice. When faced with a difficulty he knew he had to just do whatever it was that needed done. That was the best way. It was a struggle to get them on but once he had, with unwanted help, he felt more tired than he had in a long time.

"Did I do ok?" Layn finally asked, ignoring his tiredness and his throbbing knee. He couldn't look weak and he knew as a werewolf his body was capable of much more than a human. It was a flesh wound. Elena looked like she was about to lie before she shook her head. Layn was grateful for that. He hated people who lied to him, but wasn't he lying to everyone around him? It was a paradox he supposed. He thought back for a moment to the fight and when he thought they could be lying to him. Maybe she was lying now to him? He wasn't sure and the pain was now driving clear thoughts from his mind.

"You have no technique at all, but we can talk about that later. You need to lie down," she ordered. Layn didn't protest even if he wanted to. He would be fine and he preferred to be awake and alert anyway. As they came from the washroom Layn saw the two newer wolves and threw a questioning look at the Alpha, wondering if she would explain them. She looked at them and then Layn, shaking her head. Her eyes said later and he obeyed. He was finding it extremely easy to obey an Alpha's words, much easier than he would have believed or than he was comfortable with. Maybe it was his wolf instinct, his wolf wanting a pack and a leader so he could relax. Maybe this little lie would work out better than he hoped for his wolf at least, and for a little while only, but still.

Layn ignored them then and limped towards the stairs, brushing off the help that Reese offered him. "I'm fine," the young werewolf said and walked forward, starting up the stairs. Layn grimaced with every step but tried not to show it. Reese still followed him but didn't try and help as the boy limped to the bedroom.

"You don't need to act like a hero," Reese said to him. Layn turned and glared at him, but it was only for a second until he remembered he shouldn't do this. Quickly he turned away and didn't answer. Finally the bedroom, which felt like it was hundreds of miles away, was there and he was lying down with a soft sigh. Layn knew the other werewolf was watching him as he lied down and got comfortable, though Reese walked up and took Layn's leg, pulling the pant leg up on his sweatpants and looking at the wound.

It wasn't the first time Layn noticed the other man's missing fingers. He wondered for a moment how it happened and what went wrong. Wasn't the pack there to save him? He shook this thought off though, as a throb of pain went through his knee and he grimaced.

"Didn't seem to pop any stitches," he said and Layn nodded and watched as Reese backed up and then looked around the room. He got the feeling that Reese wanted to say something, but in the end he only nodded and walked to the bathroom. He came out with a wet washcloth and told Layn to get cleaned up. He already changed his pants and now he took off his shirt and watched as Reese left. Soon his arms, face, neck and hair were a bit cleaner. A shower would have been nice but he'd have to wait for that.

Layn got up again after he'd washed up and limping to the washroom he threw the washcloth in the bathroom sink before turning and going to his book bag. He pulled out his phone and a small, dwindling, bottle of pills. He picked up his bag as well walked back to the bed flipping through his contacts and finding Jay.

He sent him a message yesterday that Layn missed. Jay said one word that said _in?_ Layn bit his lip for a moment, an old habit, and thought about what to say. Every conversation he had with Jay was deleted after but he should have checked last night. The phone could get him killed but it's the only access they had to one another. Jay knew that werewolf's could communicate telepathically, because he used to be part of the pack as well, but even with experimenting to it he hadn't gotten far. They decided to communicate the normal way.

_I'm in. Everything going normal. Wait for me to contact you._ Layn wrote and waited for it to send before deleting his words and setting his phone aside. He then turned to pills and took two. There were two more left after that. As a werewolf he should not have contracted any type of malfunction in his body but this was an anomaly. He should have been healthier, better, faster than humans and he was except for this.

Quickly he threw the bottle back in the bag. He hated this but his choices were limited. The thought crossed his mind that his choices were almost always limited for one reason or another. That wasn't slightly annoying or anything. With a sigh Lyn set his bag on the floor and lay back trying to catch up on the extra sleep he needed. It wasn't easy but he knew he was safe so he had to convince himself that sleeping would be ok. Nothing would happen.

As soon as Layn woke up again covered in sweat, he made his way to the washroom intent on a shower despite his wound. He shed his clothes and unwrapped the bandages around his leg so he could shower. Looking down at the tiny neat switches he wondered if he'd have another scar. Another story. How much should he tell the pack? Should he keep pretending or should he just come clean? Layn wasn't sure of anything, but he did know that in order to get to the truth and to get the help he needed he would need to stick with Jay's plan. It didn't feel right, but it felt like the only way right then.

Layn once heard someone say that everyone has both good and bad in them or both black and white no one sees in just grey. Layn disagreed. He saw the world in a grey tone most of the time, or he felt he did anyway. There was only a good or bad choice and he was only a good or bad person. He couldn't be both.

As soon as Layn stepped down the stairs after showering, telling himself a bath would have been easier, and redressing in Noah's sweatpants but a clean shirt of his own, Layn heard two young kids talking loudly and over one another as they raced to speak to whoever was listening about their day. Layn froze at the bottom step wondering if he should walk in. Kids were ok but they sometimes made him nervous. It wasn't that he was bad with them but maybe he just wasn't used to being around them. Taking what seemed like the millionth deep breath that day, Layn walked towards the study and stood in the doorway. The kids looked to be about six or seven and both had different blue eyes and blonde hair, telling Layn they were most likely Clay and Elena's kids. The boy had straight hair with lighter eyes and the girl more curly hair with darker eyes. They were speaking to Antonio, Jeremy, Elena and one of the men whom Layn hadn't officially met yet, the one missing an arm.

Layn quietly walked in and sat down on the opposite side of the room seeing Nick and Noah come in shortly after him and sit down as well. "Ms. Tate says if I practice I can try out for the lead in the musical," the girl grinned and the boy quickly raised his voice wanting to be heard as well.

"I'm almost done my science project and Mr. Sawyer says I might just win," he smiled. Jeremy opened his mouth to reply, but the girl interrupted and glared at her brother with her hands on her hips.

"I was talking, _Logan_," she said, emphasizing his name and glaring. Logan rolled his eyes and glared as well.

"So was I, _Katherine_," he sighed and looked at his mother like Kate was the younger sibling. Maybe she was, but the children looked to be about the same age.

"Both of you should learn to listen," Nick smiled and quickly he swooped in and scooped both kids up, putting each one on a shoulder and pretending to throw them over his back while he hung onto them. Both kids laughed and shrieked now and hung where he left them. That's when they saw Layn. Kate went wide eyed while Logan screwed up his eyes as if studying the unfamiliar werewolf.

"Who are you?" Logan asked, staying still and crossing his arms. Layn knew for a fact the kids saw him that morning, but they had not officially met him yet. He figured that's what they meant by the question. Even if their mother did explain who he was and what his name was.

"Why are you here?" Kate followed, squirming to get down. Nick walked over to the side of the couch Layn didn't take up and dropped the twins. Kate bounced up right away and came to stand in front of him while Logan sat up and watched Layn curiously but wearily.

Layn saw Elena and Nick both start to explain, but Layn answered first. "I'm Layn. I'm staying here for a bit. I'm a werewolf like you guys," he explained. Kate nodded now and sniffed to see if Layn was telling the truth. He doubted the little girl could smell him yet, but if both of her parents were werewolves then she may have early abilities.

"Remember guys, we don't know Layn that well so don't bother him too much, ok?" Antonio put in. Neither kid looked at him but Kate tipped her head a bit looking as if she was thinking and studying Layn.

"He's ok, we can trust him. He's got some good…" Kate said but stopped not quite sure of the word she wanted. "Like what you mean to do," Kate said, looking at Logan who nodded.

"Intentions, he has some good intentions," Logan said and Kate nodded now, looking back at Layn who gave them both curious looks. These were definitely not like any kids Layn had ever met. These two were more like teenagers trapped in a kid's body. The fact that she said Layn had good intentions was odd too. He wanted to believe he was a good person, but the fact that he was here to betray them meant he wasn't. Maybe her body language skills were off a bit. Maybe she was just a kid guessing or maybe because he pretended to have good intentions and didn't think about the bad ones she saw this as having good intentions. Layn had no idea. i

"Where are you from? You look like Uncle Nick and Uncle Tonio. Are you European?" Logan asked now. Layn smiled slightly and nodded.

"Once upon a time," Layn answered but didn't elaborate. Logan looked annoyed at this, but before he could interrogate him anymore Jeremy told the kids that their snacks were ready. Behaving more like werewolves now, both of them shot one last look at Layn before rushing from the room. Layn relaxed then and looked over at the others, trying to get a sense if he said the right thing.

Elena was studying him. Layn looked away quickly but was unsurprised at the next question. "Your file states you were from Canada. No mention of Europe," Jeremy said. Layn nodded then, letting his mind spin to think of a credibly lie. Make it simple, Jay always told him so he did.

"Before Canada, I was a baby when I came here, or to Canada, so it wasn't really worth mentioning," Layn shrugged, looking at Jeremy for a bit longer than he should have but he looked away before it became a challenge.

"Is there anything else you 'forgot' to tell us?" Elena asked now with crossed arms. Layn considered this for a moment before shaking his head. The Alpha gave him a critical look but said nothing. Layn was thankful for that. He's wasn't that great at interrogation, which was another reason he was hoping he wouldn't get caught, because the pack were master interrogators, specifically Clay. The thought made him shiver slightly.

Layn didn't encounter the kids again until supper at which time they were busy eating and being distracted by the pack. After supper though and after he'd fulfilled his obligation to ask if he could help, Layn decided to head out side for some fresh air. He shrugged on his jacket and shoes and limped out the back door, seeing he wasn't alone in this idea. Outside Jeremy had the twins gathered and they were practicing shooting a bow and arrow at a target. Jeremy had offered him a crutch and a walking stick, but Layn wanted neither. He might look weak but it would be on his own terms. The pain was reduced now, thankfully werewolf healing kicked in, and Jeremy had only asked him to be careful to not make the wound open or bleed again.

The young werewolf was surprised at this since most werewolves shied away from weapons. All the talk that he had ever heard about Jeremy Danvers though, told him that this man was different than other werewolves. To tell the truth not a lot of mutts spoke well of him and words such as 'weakling' and 'not fit to be a werewolf' were tossed around a lot. Layn didn't listen to them however; obviously a man who had managed to be pack Alpha for so long and to change the pack and curb it as well was not a weakling.

Layn sat down with a grimace and watched them for a bit seeing the twins had very good aim. That wasn't unusual he figured. If they were both full werewolves they would be very good at pretty much anything they did. They were like super humans if he thought about it.

After he had watched for a few moments Jeremy looked over at him and gestured for him to walk over. Layn hesitated a moment but got up and walked forward anyway. Obey. He always needed to obey here if he wanted to make it through unscathed.

"Would you like to try?" Jeremy asked. Layn was more than a little surprised about this. Why would they give an untrusted person a weapon? It hit him a second later though. This was a test. One Layn would pass. The young werewolf nodded and stepped up to the spot Jeremy and the twins were using to shoot. Layn accepted the bow after Jeremy asked if he knew how to safely use it and notched an arrow, aiming it expertly at the target. For a second he considered if he should show them he was good at this, but he'd already gotten into form and had his hands in position. All this would give him away anyway so he ignored his thoughts and shot, hitting just shy of the bulls eye.

"He's not so bad," Kate said. Layn snorted at this and stepped aside handing the weapon back now.

"I do know some things," Layn said, smirking at her. Logan rolled his eyes then and took the bow, getting ready to take another turn. "I'm going for a walk," he announced now, looking at Jeremy. The man glanced at this leg for a moment but said nothing. Layn knew that maybe he should be resting, but he felt like he was suffocating a bit here. He wasn't used to being around so many people and it was a lot to handle, especially with tensions running high with the whole hierarchy business.

Layn took off then, limping towards the forest and feeling as if he could take a breath for the first time since he got here. Behind him he heard the twins asking questions and Jeremy answering ever patient. He'd have to be patient he supposed if he was the leader or former leader and therefore Elena had to be patient as well. Layn hoped she was patient anyway.

As he entered the forest starting off on a path he glanced back to see who he had been thinking of. Elena stood with Jeremy now talking to the twins, but he didn't miss the fact that she glanced his way and kept eye contact for a few moments.


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story _**Enraptured**_.

**Layn**

Layn walked beside the fence at the end of Stonehaven woods. He'd discovered it as soon as he had walked a few feet in. This odd buzzing sound had seemed to fill his ears as soon as he focused on it. He felt a need to know as he always did and he surged forward despite the pain in his knee. He knew it would heal quickly enough once he slept. Layn walked for a half an hour before he came close enough to the source of the noise to see it. What he saw made him stop in his tracks.

"It couldn't be," Layn said lowly. Another fifty feet in front of him was a fence, a fence that was at least twenty feet high and, from the sound, was electrically powered.

Finally Layn unfroze and walked forward again, ignoring his limp and looking both ways to see how far this thing stretched. It went as far as he could see both ways. _What the hell?_ Layn thought as he got within a few inches of the monstrosity now.

He reached unconsciously and touched his finger tip to the metal, getting a shock that made him yip and jump back cursing when he put too much weight on his knee and feel to the ground on his ass. Inside his chest his heart was thumping a million miles a minute and he instinctively put a hand to his chest. His heart rate would be affected due to the currents in his body he knew. That was stupid, Layn chided himself looking at his finger tip and seeing a small red welt. There would be no end to injuries in the pack he could tell. Layn sighed and pushed himself up, hoping no one saw him being so stupid.

Layn looked around then and tried to tell if anyone had seen him. Elena had given him an appraising look before he left, but since she knew the fence was here she would know he couldn't go far. If she knew he had been stupid enough to touch it, she may not have let him alone; maybe he needed a babysitter after all. This made him feel relieved since he needed some alone time. Being around so many people all the time was suffocating. He wasn't used to it. He'd been on his own for so long that being around people was hard. He supposed he had been around Jay off and on for years but he didn't count. Jay was just…he couldn't think of a word for him. Jay took semi care of him so he could use him. He still wasn't sure how he felt about that, but it wasn't important.

Layn enjoyed the quiet of the woods until dusk started to fall. It was just as well. Being in the woods so long made his skin tingle and the scents filled his mind with pictures of running. Flashes of changing, hunting, howling. He was technically lying when he said he had only changed a few times. He'd been changing for years. Jay didn't particularly like this side of his life so he hadn't been much help. Layn had struggled alone, first in the basement and finally in the woods. It was painful but not as painful as he thought. It took time but not as much as Jay had told him. Maybe he was just good at changing. Maybe everyone was just different. He wasn't sure.

Layn was so deep in thought he missed the rustle of the leaves and the snap of a twig. It was faint but he should have heard it. Suddenly a figure was looming in front of him. Layn took a step back and clamped his mouth shut so he wouldn't yell. He was never good with surprises and more than a little skittish when it came to certain things. He knew most people were so it didn't bother him so much.

The man with the missing arm Layn had seen in the house was looming a few feet in front of him. He was dark haired like the Sorrentinos but lighter skinned. He had a little less muscle than Antonio and was taller than Reese. Layn swallowed and said nothing as he averted his eyes to the left so he wouldn't challenge the man. He was clearly a wounded wolf, but he was still as scary as shit and his missing arm only made it worse.

"I didn't mean to scare you," he finally said and extended his only arm. Layn nodded and looked up hesitating only a moment before he took the hand and shook. "I'm Karl Marsden," he said and Layn found himself looking at the man again. He had heard of this man before, everyone had. How the hell did he lose his arm? This man was not as feared as Clay but he was definitely, or Layn should say he used to be, feared.

"I'm Layn...," the boy said, trailing off and not knowing what to say next. He certainly wanted to ask about his arm but he didn't dare. Karl seemed to know what he was getting at though, and he looked at the missing arm. His face filled with regret, anger and annoyance.

Karl then turned that annoyed look on Layn who instinctively took a small step back until he spoke. "Not that it's any of your business, but I lost it in the last mutt attack, the price I paid to save my wife's life," he told Layn who bit his lip but quickly stopped himself. That was an old habit and he was trying to get rid of it. That was who he used to be and not who he was now.

"Where is she?" Layn found himself asking now. Karl's eyes looked storm cloudy for a moment and Layn found himself taking another step back just in case. He hadn't meant to be so abrupt. He waited for a moment before he looked at the man again. His eyes were back to being settled and he didn't look as if he would kill Layn so he was thankful for that at least.

Without an answer the bigger wolf turned and started walking back towards the house. Layn followed as he knew he should, but his mind was racing with questions. What happened to Karl's arm? Where was his wife? What had changed the pack? These questions and many more he figured he may not get the answer to for quite some time.

"What the hell are you doing out here anyway?" Karl barked and Layn stopped for a moment surprised but didn't have an answer. Karl said nothing after this and Layn sensed he had annoyed him or crossed a line he should not have. He'd be more careful in the future.

When he emerged from the woods he smelt the smell of cooking meat and his legs instantly made him walk faster. Karl was far ahead of him by now and Layn saw in the distance that a little girl, maybe around three or so, was running towards Karl. The man picked up the little girl with one arm and a smile. So there was something that would make the man smile Layn thought. Something that would make the man un-freeze.

Layn set that thought aside to focus on his hunger. He was starving, but he always was anyway. Ever since he turned about fourteen he had consumed everything in sight. He knew it was normal, but it was one hell of an annoyance as well, especially living in the human world.

In the back yard he saw various pack members milling about besides Karl and the little girl who was now chasing after the twins trying to catch them. Nick tended the BBQ and there was a cooler full of beers on the porch. Layn knew it may be the last BBQ of the season with the way the weather was turning. It wasn't quite fall yet, but summer didn't know that apparently. Layn studied the scene as he walked up still trying to get a feeling for who belonged in what position and how the pack worked. In the field it would be easier, but in this laid back situation they all just seemed like a huge family with no proper hierarchy.

Karl was now sitting at the picnic table with Jeremy, Elena and Antonio. Did that mean he was a senior pack member? Not from what Layn had heard, but he was one of the oldest too. Karl had not officially been part of the pack for a long time but eventually he had come around, or so Layn had heard. Nick was taking a fresh plate of burgers to the table where drinks, condiments and extras like veggies were piled. On the second picnic table Reese and Noah were playing what looked like poker and the other pack member, the one who looked to be sick, was sitting watching.

Layn knew his place would be at the picnic table with the younger members so he headed there, even if all the younger members may not like him. As Layn walked he heard the back door open and saw a gorgeous red head walk out the back door carrying more drinks. The woman was at least double his age, but despite that he had a split second mental picture of every boy's fantasy. Quickly he shook these thoughts aside and tried to concentrate.

Immediately Layn slowed and watched as Jeremy stood with a wistful smile and untangled his legs, getting up to walk towards her. As Layn reached the picnic table Jeremy reached the woman and took the drinks from her in one hand but with his other he took the woman, dipped her and kissed her deeply. "Who is she?" Layn asked still watching them.

"Off limits," Reese said immediately. Layn nodded knowing this of course. The former Alpha had kissed a woman. Why would Reese think Layn would immediately go over and hit on her? It's not like he had a death wish or anything. Plus, he wasn't sure who or what he was interested in yet. He had definitely had flings and been with people, but that didn't help him narrow down his preferred choice. He guessed he was a late bloomer, but he had never given it much thought just because he didn't have as much interest. He'd been too busy surviving. Too busy fending for himself. Even with Jay he was still mostly alone. Jay was only interested in Noah and, really, Layn should be resentful of this but he wasn't. He understood, at least somewhat.

"She is Jaime and she's Jeremy's mate. She's a necromancer," the unknown werewolf told Layn. The younger wolf nodded to this, catching the man's odd accent and watching as Jeremy took Jaime's hand and led her to the picnic table.

"I'm Layn," Layn finally said, waking himself from his trance and looking at the red haired wolf. He had no idea what made a wolf sick, but this guy was pale and looked like it was an effort to stay awake or upright. It looked as if at any moment he might collapse

"Morgan," he said but didn't offer his hand. Layn nodded and sat down on the side that Reese occupied, making sure to sit at the far end. Layn was a Canadian and he was fairly sure he could place this man's accent as far East Coast, probably Newfoundland or Labrador. As with Reese he wouldn't ask though, just in case. He had no desire to see the cold look that he had seen in Reese's eyes again on someone else.

"Guys, supper," Nick finally called. Immediately both young werewolves got up and Morgan started to as well, but Reese set a hand on his shoulder with a "stay put" look. Immediately Layn's mind started spinning with ideas about the hierarchy system. Morgan looked older, but Reese still seemed to be in charge. Did that mean that Reese was a better werewolf so he was in charge, or that since Morgan was sick he couldn't maintain his hierarchy, at least over Reese? Maybe Noah was still under Morgan. It was just a lot of confusion really, but Layn guessed that since Morgan was sick he could not defend his rightful place and so fell on the pack chain. Morgan nodded looking grateful as he relaxed where he was. Now Layn really wanted to know but he didn't ask. The curiosity was burning inside him like an oil lamp just about to fizz out.

Morgan looked over at Layn then as if he knew he was being watched and Layn didn't have time to divert his eyes. The man smirked a bit and his deep forest green eyes crinkled.

"Poison," he said simply. Layn looked wide eyed and astonished at this. "It was the last attack. The worst one," he said. Layn nodded astonished now. He had heard the last attack was one the pack had barely survived. It was the worst in pack history since an incident before Layn was born where a few of their members died. This was why it was a bad time to reach out to the pack, but he had no choice.

Morgan didn't elaborate and Layn didn't ask for any more information. It may seem like he was interfering in matters he had no place interfering in. Plus maybe the information was too personal. Layn jumped a bit when he was pulled from his thought by Noah and Reese returning, thumping three plates down onto the picnic table. Morgan accepted his with a warm smile and took the cold beer Reese handed him as well.

Layn pushed himself up then knowing he was allowed to go and get food that the others just above him had come back with their food. No one would get him for him, so it was fend for himself or die, he knew. The young wolf looked around to see everyone else had started eating and knew there was little chance there would be much left if he waited any longer. As Layn made his way to the table he saw the kids had a smaller kid sized picnic table made just for them. Probably a pack member had made it or maybe bought it.

The food was scattered over the table and Layn tried to be as quiet and invisible as possible while getting a plate and grabbing some much needed sustenance. As he filled up and was in his own little world someone gently laid a hand on his hand. Suddenly a memory surfaced of someone grabbing his hand and dunking him under the water he was standing in. They wouldn't let go. They held him fast. Layn struggled and lashed out, trying desperately to get away, but in the next second he was on the ground, gulping air and looking at serious brown eyes.

"What the hell, kid?" Antonio growled holding Layn's arms still now, pinning them against his sides. Layn closed his eyes and tried to figure out what had just happened. He had virtually no memories from before he was ten so he had no idea what that was. He was confused and felt so disoriented. The world was spinning and it took a few moments for Antonio's words to even make sense to him.

When he opened his eyes again he saw Jeremy had half a knee on the picnic bench and had a hand on Jaime's shoulder. Jaime had two scratches down her cheek and she was trying to look calm, but she was a little bit shocked. Layn just stared at her for a moment wondering where the scratches had come from before it hit him. He must have scratched her. He had been trying to get away and in the attempt he had hurt her. He was so dead.

Layn was more surprised that Jeremy was not on top of him wanting to rip his throat out, but Antonio was closer he supposed and got to him first. Jeremy was holding her now looking none too happy, but he didn't look as if he wanted to murder the younger wolf. That must be a good sign.

"I…," Layn said, trying to get his heart to stop pounding. Layn lifted his hand then to brush sweaty hair from his forehead and only then realised his finger nails were claws and hair had sprouted on his hand. He had never half changed before and he looked at his hand with the same confused look that he gave Antonio and then Elena who stood over him now looking cool and not too amused. He must have scratched her with his werewolf claws then. Not good.

"I'm so sorry," Layn said in a voice that sounded like it was half a growl. Layn swallowed then and tried again, willing his hands to turn back to normal and his voice as well. What the hell had just happened to him? The haze of confusion and disorientation was lifting, but it still felt like a stray cloud floating around him. He ignored that question to focus on the now again. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened, but I didn't mean it. I saw…something…I'm so sorry," Layn apologized, looking over at Jaime now. The woman nodded and pulled away from Jeremy's hold.

Antonio got up then and pulled Layn easily up as well. Looking around, he saw half the pack was on their feet or half way standing.

"What did you see?" Elena asked now and Layn looked at her confused for a few moments before he understood. He could tell she didn't quite believe him though.

"I'm not sure…um, it was…can I go?" Layn asked. Elena watched Layn for a moment before nodding and walking towards him. She took his upper arm, pulling him from Antonio and walking him towards the back porch, across it and inside. Once inside she turned to him and took his shoulders in her hands.

"What did you see?" Why did you attack Jaime?" she demanded. Layn looked away from her and glanced out the back window to see Clay looking towards the house, but no one got up to follow them.

"I don't know…I…I think it was a memory. Jaime took my hand and suddenly it was like I was seeing something and someone was trying to…to drown me," Layn explained fearfully. He had a feeling this was real and that he wasn't just going crazy. What he saw had really happened to him, but he couldn't remember the circumstances.

"An early childhood memory?" Elena asked, looking thoughtful and weary but not as angry as before. Maybe he could get through to her. Maybe she could see that what had happened was real, could see that he was in disarray and wasn't faking his feelings.

"I don't have any memories. Not until I was older, maybe about ten or so. I remember a few things from then but not before that," Layn said. Elena looked as if she was remembering something but then she was back and looking at Layn like they could understand one another. The moment passed in a blink, but Layn could have sworn it was there.

"Childhood amnesia," she said and Layn shrugged. Elena sighed then and looked at Layn with the Alpha's eyes. These eyes terrified him and suddenly he decided that none of this was worth it. He couldn't do what he came here to do. The pack would kill him or he'd be kicked out before he was even here for a few weeks.

"I can't do this," Layn suddenly said and felt panic begin to bubble in his stomach then. Jay would probably beat the crap out of him, but maybe that was worth it. He just couldn't do this anymore. He wouldn't get away with it anyway, so what was the point?

"Layn," Elena said, taking his arm again as Layn wrenched from her grip. He headed towards the living room ignoring her which she didn't take too kindly to he assumed, but he was panicking and she had to see that. He was outsider and this wasn't easy. Why couldn't she understand? "Layn," she said again, following him and taking his shoulder again. Layn resisted slightly, but she was able to lead him to a seat. "Sit, we're going to speak," she commanded now. Layn didn't dare disobey and he sat, trying to take a deep breath as she instructed and clear his head a bit. Being hungry didn't help at all.

"I need you to calm down or you're in danger of a change. I can't let you change so close to my children," she emphasized and Layn nodded, understanding. He took a couple of deep breaths now, closing his eyes and forcing himself to calm down. After a minute it worked and he looked over at the Alpha again.

"I can't do this, Elena. They all hate me and no one trusts me at all. I feel like it shouldn't be this hard. I just want…I want to…to be accepted but it will never happen. I need to stop pretending. Just let me go," Layn pleaded, but Elena shook her head again.

"No, Layn. I can't. What I can do is believe you when you tell me that you did not attack Jaime out of malice. I'm suspicious, but obviously something is going on. I can't exactly ask you to control whatever happened to you I suppose, but I can get you help," she said and immediately Layn shook his head. Elena frowned at this but let him speak. She could try and get him help, but Layn didn't want it, and if he didn't accept it he knew there would be no point.

"I'm fine. I'll try and do what I can, I suppose, but it would be better if I could just go," Layn said, but again Elena shook her head and told the boy he was staying put. Layn knew it was probably too dangerous for him to be without help right now but he was still frustrated.

"Now, if there isn't anything you need to tell me," she said, looking at him critically, but Layn shook his head, "then we're going back out there. I'm going to vouch for you which should settle most of their minds, but just try and be careful, ok?" she asked and Layn nodded. The knot of reluctance was forming in his stomach though, and he wished beyond anything else he had never come. It was stupid to think he could accomplish anything here.

Layn apologized again once he got outside and Elena told everyone that he hadn't meant it and they were to leave it alone. Layn would make it up to Jaime in whatever way she wanted, even though Jaime protested about that. Finally Layn gathered food and made sure to get extra vegetables when Antonio jokingly complained that no one there liked vegetables. He had been trying to lighten the mood but it wasn't working well.

Layn made his way back to his picnic table with cold food and a warm drink and didn't look at anyone as he ate. Elena said he had to try and make friends with the others and it would be a good idea to start with Noah, Reese and Morgan but it seemed an impossible feat. How did you make people trust you when they didn't even really seem to like you?

He had to make an effort though, so, with grudging resolve he looked up at the three. They had been speaking about an upcoming trip and eventually Layn decided he would try later. After he had enough to eat, to do him a few hours anyway, and had helped clean up dinner, he headed outside again and to his motorcycle. He hadn't felt like speaking to anyone and decided being on his own may be best for a while.

He'd always been good at fixing things and his bike had been making odd sounds for quite a while. Like wind breaking through a crack where there shouldn't be. He took his bike by the handles and moved it away from the spot where it had been leaning. When he got to the gravel driveway he took the keys from his jacket and turned it on revving it up and listening to the sound. Almost immediately three little kids appeared on the porch to watch. Layn smiled and stopped the noise, setting the bike on its stand and going into his saddle bag for tools.

Layn next sat down and looked at the bike, deciding where to start and pretending not to notice as the kids crept closer. Finally Layn decided to start with the rear power unit and work his way from there. Eventually he would find the broken or irritated area. Once he had some parts scattered on the grass he looked up to see Logan, Kate and Karl's little girl sitting on their haunches and watching with interest.

"Have you three never seen a motorcycle before?" Layn asked amused now.

"Yes," Logan immediately said. "But Uncle Nick takes his to the shop," he said intrigued and he looked over the dirty metal pieces but didn't touch them. The pack had definitely taught them well.

"Even though Reese says he can help fix it," Kate said. Layn chuckled then imagining the exact scene. He didn't know any of the pack members well, but he was definitely starting to see how each of them differed and contributed to the pack to form a whole. Even the kids had their personalities and roles it seemed.

Layn picked up a socket wrench and laid himself on his back, taking apart the belly pan of his Ducati. He'd had his motorcycle a few years now and it was definitely his most prized possession. Jay had given it to him as a sign of good faith. He'd walked out into the yard one day to see a blue Ducati Diavel. Lightweight with a six speed transmission and top of the line Testastretta 11 engine. He was sure it was a dream at first or that it was a trick, but Jay hadn't taken it back. That was good since he had no intention of giving it up.

"Kate, Logan, Nita," someone called from the porch, interrupting Layn's memories. The young wolf looked up to see Elena calling the kids in for bedtime. Logan looked like he was being pulled from his favorite class in school and shot Layn and the motorcycle a regretful look, but Kate immediately took the other little girl's, Nita's, hand, and started walking with her towards the house.

An hour later Layn figured out that the problem was a lose shift lever. He wiped some spilled oil off of his face smearing black across his cheek. By the time he had a majority of the parts back in place he heard footsteps. He ignored the person for a moment until he needed to reach for the extra spark plugs he kept for a change and saw Noah sitting on the ground not far from him.

"Can you hand me those?" Layn asked and Noah, startled out of his thoughts for a moment, looked around and picked up the spark plugs, handing them over. "Thanks," Layn smiled and laid down again to fit them into place.

"Elena said I should talk to you," Noah began and then stopped. Layn nodded but realized too late Noah wouldn't see.

"She told me the same thing," the other wolf admitted. Noah said nothing for a moment and Layn looked over to see he was playing with a blade of grass. Layn guessed Noah wasn't the most talkative so maybe it would be up to him.

Layn fit the last plug into place and sat up, wiping his face with his sleeve and starting to gather up his tools. He had half of them cleaned before Noah spoke again.

"Why did you attack Jaime?" he asked suddenly. Layn looked over at the other boy and knewhe had been gathering up his courage to ask for a bit.

"It looked bad, huh?" Layn asked. Noah nodded and picked up a cleaning rag to clean off some tools for him. Layn dipped his head to him as a thank you and thought about what to tell him. The truth would be best he knew so he would go with that. He had to gain Noah's trust as quickly as possible.

"I saw something," Layn admitted. Noah gave him an odd look, but Layn quickly went on to explain. He didn't need the other boy thinking he was a freak on top of everything else. "When Jaime set her hand on mine it let lose a memory. Someone was trying to hurt me but I don't remember who. Suddenly it was…maybe like someone was trying to hurt me again and I lashed out. I didn't even realize I was doing it. Sorry if I freaked you guys out," Layn said covertly, watching Noah's reaction as he watched the ground setting a now cleaned tool down. He was eager for the other boy to understand and so he tripped over his words a bit, hoping Noah would not think the worst.

"That's…kind of weird," Noah admitted, looking up again. Layn could see the fear in his eyes that he would take offense, but he only laughed and shook his head.

"I know," Layn answered and stood now, gathering his tools to put back in the hidden compartment on the bike. He was about to lead the bike back to the place Reese had set it, but he suddenly had a better idea.

"Want to go for a ride?" he asked with a grin. It was a split second decision and for a second he thought Noah would see how desperate he was for his trust. Noah looked at the bike and then at Layn. Hesitatingly he looked back at the house, but when he caught Layn's eyes again his were shining with the need for adventure but still mingled with distrust and feelings of guilt. Layn nodded then with a smile of his own and got on the bike. Sticking in the key he turned it on and revved up, gesturing for Noah to get on as well. With a quick look at the house Noah scrambled on and grabbed a hold of Layn tentatively. Layn called for him to hold on tightly as he turned and took off, not looking back.

They drove two miles before Noah lightened his grip a bit and he could hear the other boy laughing. Noah seemed to have forgotten he didn't trust Layn for a moment and just given into the feeling of freedom. It's what Layn would have done at least. Layn laughed too and sped up, taking the road into town and zooming through the center of it. He looked around as they drove memorizing the town for future reference and stopping off near a local donut shop.

"I'm hungry," Layn explained and Noah nodded with a big grin. It amazed Layn how different the other boy was acting now. Maybe he just really needed to get away or he had forgotten he shouldn't trust Layn. Maybe he was just being care free for once.

"That was awesome," he laughed and Layn nodded. It had occurred to him that he could easily take Noah now and just keep driving. Noah wouldn't be able to do much about it but try and jump off and of course, he'd kick the crap out of Layn, but Layn wouldn't hold back then either. Maybe he'd beat the other boy.

After gassing up the bike and sharing a box of donuts and some iced coffee, Noah finally looked at his phone and frowned. "We'd better get back," he suggested looking worried. The misgivings were back in his eyes now. Maybe he was able to forget for a bit that Layn wasn't technically pack but not for long. Layn sighed but nodded. He was definitely not used to being treated like a child and he didn't like it. At his age he should have been able to go anywhere and do anything without permission. It was more than an annoyance to tell the truth.

As they walked out the bike again, Layn considered just driving off as a serious plan again. It was only when they turned off the highway and had a choice to keep going down the main road and hit I-89 or head towards Stonehaven that he hesitated. No, he couldn't just drive away. He doubted he would get very far and Noah would fight him on it sensing danger. He would need to wait until he was more trusted and could convince Noah to go with him maybe. So, he headed for Stonehaven instead, knowing it was better to be patient and wait. He was not in a hurry to get back to Jay anyway.

They pulled into the driveway at full dark and saw lights blazing from behind the pine trees as they drove up. Layn braked at the same spot he had fixed the bike before and let Noah get off before he turned off the engine and rolled the bike to the side of the house. "Thanks for that. It was…really awesome," Noah grinned.

"Well, Elena wanted us to be friends, right? I guess she got her wish," Layn shrugged. Noah looked at Layn for a moment then nodded slightly. Layn could tell that Noah was still a bit hesitant about him, but it also seemed like Noah had this side that he needed to explore. He needed to get out and do stuff and have some non-pack adventures. Maybe Noah was suffocating sometimes as well. Layn was hardly surprised. At their age they didn't need to be coddled and cooped up. They wanted to be free. So, if Layn could help Noah explore this side of himself then maybe that would endure the other boy to him much more.

Layn grinned at this until he turned to see Elena and Nick standing on the porch with twin frowns. Both had their arms crossed and looked none too happy. Layn glanced at Noah who had gone a bit pale. Much like Layn himself had. Elena uncrossed her arms then and crooked one finger in a 'come here' gesture before she turned and went back into the house leaving Nick to watch the boys cross the yard and come up the steps. Hopefully their adventure would actually be worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story _**Enraptured**_.

**Noah**

Noah's heart dropped into his stomach a bit as he glanced at Layn. The other boy seemed unfazed as his eyes followed Elena's departure and then looked at Nick watching them now seemingly patiently, but he knew him well enough to see the panic from not knowing where Noah was in his eyes and the anger at both of them for their spontaneity.

"Come on," Noah said in a voice Reese often used on him. He considered it an authoritative voice. Layn nodded and followed him which pleased Noah for a moment until he remembered he had broken the rules. Until he remembered how much shit he might be in. Hopefully Clay would not hang him from a tree in the back yard as he threatened to do if Noah messed up again.

Noah didn't dare glance at Nick as he walked up the front porch steps and to the front door. He shoved his hands in his pockets and thought for a moment. This is the first time he had broken the rules in this way and he wasn't sure what it would mean. Sure, he had lost his temper and yelled or been disrespectful at times, but he'd never purposively broken the rules before. He knew his brain was a bit frazzled from his F.A.E (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome) and the pack gave him a bit of break because of it. He had made a lot of good progress too, now that was all gone, or some of it anyway.

Noah walked straight to the study hearing Layn and Nick behind him. Immediately he glanced around the room seeing Elena sitting on the edge of the desk with crossed arms. Antonio was sitting at the desk working on his laptop and Jeremy was at the window looking into the back yard. It would do no good to ask not to have a whole audience of older pack members. They would all hear about it soon anyway. Plus, they were all senior pack members and, to a degree, it was their place to be there disciplining and knowing what was going on. It was the like the Interracial Council in a way. If Kate or Logan messed up and did something it wasn't required that all of them be there but with bigger stuff, deliberate disobedience, they were usually all there or they all heard about it after at least. Noah sat down and crossed his arms imitating Elena and, seeing Layn sit down on the opposite couch with the same body language.

Nick cleared his throat then and Noah looked up at his mentor seeing him make a gesture for him to uncross his arms. Noah obeyed and tried to relax a bit, but when he looked over at Layn to see he wasn't relaxed in the least. With uneasiness Noah looked over at Elena again.

"I'm sorry…," he started to say but Elena held up a hand. That's not good, Noah thought feeling a bit more anxiety.

"Layn, you have not been here long but, Noah, you know the rules. You aren't to go anywhere without at least telling us where you're going, boys. There are dangers out there and even if we should be safe on pack territory, we have learned from past incidents we are not. No more leaving without telling someone. No more leaving without people who can protect you, understand?" she asked in her firm Alpha voice. It made Noah shiver to hear the power behind it. Right then and there he promised not to mess up again if he could help it.

"Yes," Noah said, telling her he understood, but Layn said nothing and just continued to watch. Noah wanted to stop time for a moment and tell him he was going to screw himself with his attitude. The pack didn't like attitude as it was considered disrespectful. It was, Noah knew, but it was hard not to have a bit of an attitude sometimes.

"Problem Layn?" she asked now, looking at the younger boy. Noah glanced nervously at him and then at Nick who didn't say a word or do anything but mirrored Elena's body language instead, telling Noah he wasn't pleased.

"Yeah," Layn said, looking up now. Noah saw Nick look over sharply at Layn now and he assumed the other pack members might be doing the same. He knew he should have explained the rules to Layn beforehand. When the Alpha speaks to you like this you're not supposed to go against her or him. That just makes life harder. If you need an outlet you can get angry, respectfully, with another pack member who can then help you with the Alpha, but getting angry at her would do no good. You could of course go to Elena with anything, but there were rules and pack ways to follow as well.

"It was my idea to go out. I asked Noah and I pressured him into it. I know he's…," Layn stopped then looking over at Noah who was frowning, "…um, got problems…," he continued. Suddenly Noah felt like a volcano had gone off inside his body and his temper flared. He had been much better at this lately, but not this time apparently. He wasn't stupid and he wasn't letting Layn think he was either.

"No, you didn't. I can think for myself and just because I have problems doesn't mean I'm stupid or I follow blindly. I'm not stupid," Noah exploded and half stood. Layn looked over at him with an apologetic expression and Elena gestured for him to sit down again before addressing him.

"No, Noah. We know you're not stupid and you can make up your own mind. You're doing much better and we're all very proud of you," Elena said smiling slightly and Nick nodded, saying something along the same line. Noah sighed and looked appeased somewhat now, but his anger was still there boiling beneath the surface like a can of pop just waiting to explode.

"I'm sorry, Noah, you're right, I just…I mean that I saw you wanted to get away for a bit and I took advantage of that. I'm sorry. I'm good at manipulating people when I want and I feel awful about it," Layn said. Noah looked shocked for a moment before he nodded now at the other boy. "Look, if anyone gets into trouble it should be me," Layn said. Noah looked from Layn to Elena. Noah was more than a little confused about why Layn would admit he was a manipulator. What was going on with this guy?

Elena looked at both boys now and then at Nick. "You can punish them," she said and Nick nodded, looking at both boys in turn now. Noah looked at the floor now and accepted this before he looked over at Layn and swallowed. The other boy's eyes were showing fire and he was not happy about the situation. Noah shook his head slightly at him, but Layn ignored him and turned to Elena again.

"I think this is unfair," he said and Elena, who had stood and was walking to Jeremy, now turned back. When she had stood she had basically declared the conversation finished. It was not good to restart it Noah knew. He could feel all eyes on Layn. No one said anything for a second which Layn took to mean he could go one. "Noah is 18 and so am I. We are old enough to be able to go out on our own. We are not children. Others our age are living away from home and travelling around the world, but we have to have guardians and chaperons, we have to tell everyone where we are going and ask permission. It seems a bit juvenile," Layn challenged. Noah felt like he couldn't take a breath. Layn was going to get an ass kicking for sure if he kept this up.

"Yes, but you're not normal, are you?" Elena asked, walking back now with purpose. Noah watched Layn's face but the anger was still there. "Neither of you are normal. There are people after Noah and anyone could grab him. I'm sorry, Noah, but you're not strong enough to fight against a more experienced werewolf. This is for your protection…," she enforced and was about to go on but Layn interrupted.

"So it's a jail. Being part of the pack means I'm in jail with no chance to do anything on my own. This isn't what I signed up for. I need to be able to go out on my own without a babysitter. If you need to, you can set rules about how far we can go, or if you don't trust me to be alone with Noah we can take another pack member when we are out together, but I can't be trapped here," Layn said, raising his voice a little with both anger and a little panic.

"Oh? Can I make rules for you? I have your permission?" Elena said in a hard voice. Layn winced at this and opened his mouth, but Elena spoke over him. "Shut up, I'm talking," she growled and Noah went wide eyed. He hadn't heard Elena this angry in a while and she usually didn't think without speaking. "I understand you want freedom and you can have it, if you want you can leave right now," she emphasized. Noah saw Layn's eyes dart to his before he focused on her again.

The silence that descended then felt to Noah as if it took a life time but finally, a little hesitantly, Layn spoke. "No, I don't want to go, I just want some freedom," Layn said in a quieter voice. Noah clenched his fists now at the tension in the room and took a breath, not realizing he had been holding it before. He had always hated arguments or raised voices and fighting. He always felt anxious when anyone shouted or the situation got tense. That was something that hadn't gotten much better by being with the pack. No, they didn't yell or fight as much but by not doing it as much it caused his anxiety about it to flare more viciously when it did happen.

"I understand," Elena said, walking to Layn now and sitting down beside him. "I know this can be frustrating and I think you are right. I'll let you go for drives and out on your own under the condition that you tell someone you're going out, ok?" she asked, Layn looked up at her surprised before he nodded to this. "Noah, you can go with him and have the same limits imposed on you, but I would like an older pack member to go with you, hon. You know you may still be in danger," she said and Noah smiled then. He had been feeling lately like he was bashing his head against a brick wall. He needed freedom and soon. "Both of you will take cell phones with you and not drive out a range. If no one hears from you in a few hours you will be getting a phone call and you will answer, understood?" she said and set a hand on Layn's knee. Noah didn't think understood the cell phone rule but Noah did. Cell phones had GPS the pack could tap into. A lifesaving invention Nick had told Noah once.

Noah nodded then incredibly happy with the new arrangement. Reese would agree to go out with them if Noah needed to get away and he would have more time to be independent. He was definitely starting to like Layn more now. At first he thought he would hate him, but earlier that day when Elena came and requested he at least try, he did. He didn't think it would go anywhere but it had gone to some good places in only the space of a few hours. Not that they were best buddies or anything but making a bit of progress.

"I'm sorry," Layn apologized to her and Elena nodded now with a small smile. Noah relaxed then, but when he looked over at Nick he knew that relaxing was not on the agenda. Elena had her turn to chew them out and now it was Nick's turn. He wasn't sure who he was more afraid of in this regard. Elena was the Alpha but Nick was basically his father here. He dcided right then Nick was the one to fear and he braced for impact.

"Noah, you're grounded for a week, and Layn, no more bike for a week," Nick announced. Noah accepted this with calm finality but immediately he knew Layn did not.

"No, you can't do that. You don't have the right," Layn protested. Noah looked over at Layn again wondering when the other boy would get a clue. The older pack members had a right to do anything they wanted to the younger generation as long as it fell within pack standards and the Alpha wouldn't protest about it.

"You have a lot to learn, Layn. I'm in charge of the younger pack members, a group which you fall into at present, and, therefore I do have a right. I suggest you decide whether pack life really is for you. If it is, take the punishment and deal and, if not, you can go, as Elena said," Nick enforced. Noah watched Layn visibly clamp his mouth shut to stop from speaking, but the fire was back in the other boy's eyes now. Nick didn't miss it either, Noah knew as soon as the man chuckled.

"I'm going to give you a piece of advice my father gave me when I was younger than you," Nick said, coming to stand in front of Layn now. Layn's eyes went to the Antonio's at the desk, who was watching them with a knowing look and back to Nick's now. "You can grumble and complain all you want, you can even call me an asshole or a bastard, I don't care, but do it where I can't hear and accept your punishment. It wouldn't be punishment if you didn't deserve it or needed to learn a lesson, got it?" he asked. Layn nodded now. Finally, Noah thought, knowing when to back down and when to proceed was a good quality in anyone. Nick had given both Noah and Reese the same piece of advice before so Noah knew it well.

As they got up to go, Noah thought about the time he asked Antonio when he had given Nick that advice and had gotten a Nick childhood story in return which he loved. Apparently, Nick had gone into the woods when the pack was changed. A safety precaution which he wasn't allowed to break and Antonio found out. Rather than tell Dominic he punished Nick himself. Nick, only about 6 or 7 at the time, proceeded to call his father an asshole for being punished when he had done what the man told him not to do at which time Antonio gave him this advice. Noah was sure there had been many more incidents when Nick had called his father names but never in his presence noticed that Layn followed him and he decided to go directly upstairs so they could talk. As they walked Layn threw coveted glances out the windows he could see through at his bike. Currently Nick was rolling it around the house to put in the locked shed. Noah knew that if it was him being punished they would just leave the bike there, but they didn't seem to trust Layn all that much right now, so they would lock it away just in case.

Noah reached their bedroom first and opened the door to see Reese sitting on the window seat and waiting for him, or perhaps both of them. He turned from looking at the backyard and the darkness with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow. Noah sighed knowing that he wouldn't be able to escape a second lecture. He heard the door shut behind him and turned to see Layn staring at Reese with annoyance.

"On the bed," Reese ordered. Noah immediately walked over and sat down, cupping his hands in his lap waiting. Layn didn't move from his position by the door with his hand on the knob.

"I already got a lecture from two people with a higher rank than you, I don't need to hear it again," Layn grumbled. Reese strode forward and took Layn's shoulder propelling him to the bed and making him sit. Layn glared but said nothing. He only had to remember Reese pinning him to the wall the other day to know that he needed to sit and listen or he'd be sorry again.

Noah wasn't surprised that Reese was able to make Layn do what he wanted. Reese was like a mini Alpha in temperament and personality. He was strong, authoritative and not scared to do what needed to be done. The younger boy was sure that one day Reese would be the Alpha, even if he was training to be an enforcer now.

"That was stupid. Both of you should have known better. Next time you want to get away just tell me and I'll help," he told them. Noah nodded knowing that Reese had probably heard the whole conversation and thought of a plan before Nick had even scolded them.

"What's the point of us getting away if we have someone older watching over our backs?" Layn asked and put an arm over Noah's shoulder making them a team. Noah looked at Layn and then Reese again.

"The point is I'm younger, and with me they will let you go, but you won't have to deal with someone older who might not understand going to a certain movie or getting you guys into a bar underage," Reese explained and sat down in the middle of the boys, pushing them apart now. Noah could tell Reese wasn't exactly comfortable with Layn coming in and influencing him. It was true that Noah was not stupid and could make up his own mind, but he knew he could be influenced easily and Reese wouldn't like that at all.

"Fine," Layn said, getting up now and heading to the washroom. Noah watched him go and then turned to Reese knowing his older pack brother had more to say to him. Reese waited a moment before he took Noah's arm and propelled him out of the room. Reese started towards the next room down and knocked on the door. When he got no response he went in and closed the door, tugging Noah behind him.

"Noah, you need to be careful," Reese began as he turned on the lights. Elena and Clay's room was empty for now and neither of them would mind him using it. Noah nodded and followed Reese to the bed now. "You can't let him influence you so easily. You only just met him. I'm worried," the Aussie wolf emphasized.

"I know but I'm not blindly influenced, Reese. I won't let him hurt me," Noah countered and Reese gave him a look then. Noah knew he'd messed up by that look, but he didn't look away. Once he was, not afraid, but weary around Reese, figured the guy would think he was weak or make fun of him but he never did. Reese was the best friend Noah had ever made and the best brother he could ask for. He wouldn't steer him wrong.

"You went with him after he suggested you go out for a bit. How much thought did you put into that?" Reese asked, not unkindly, as the door opened and Elena walked in closely followed by Clay and Nick.

"Shit, sorry. We just needed a place to talk," Reese apologized, but Elena waved them off. Nick immediately went to the bar in Elena's room, a similar one to the one in Clay's room, and mixed them some drinks while Clay fished for cards in Elena's sock drawer but listened closely. Sometime they needed to just chill out and play a game of cards like the old days. The responsibility of being Alpha was a heavy one Noah figured.

"No, I wanted to talk to you guys anyway," she began and closed the door behind her. "Where is he?" she asked before she began getting the answer from Noah. "I want you both to be very careful around Layn. I don't completely trust him. Jeremy has the feeling something is off about him, but we're not sure what. Maybe it's just his nervousness or the fact that he hasn't told us something or other, but neither of you are to go alone with him, got it?" she asked and both of them nodded.

"What do you think it is though?" Reese prodded now, crossing his arms and looking at her seriously. Elena looked at him gravely for a moment considering what to tell them. Sometimes, Noah knew, they kept information from him but let Reese know. It bothered the hell out of him, but he knew they had their reasons too. Sometimes he could persuade Reese to tell him anyway as long as he didn't say anything.

"It's the way he doesn't completely look at you when he's saying some things. In the way he has a tense energy around him unrelated to the anxiety of joining a pack and being new, and he's in contact with a few people from the outside world. One specifically named Jay. He erased his conversations but his contact list is short. We also found some medical stuff he didn't bother telling us about. It's a lot of things so just be careful," she instructed and set a hand on each of their shoulder.

"Medical stuff?" Reese asked confused. Elena nodded and accepted a drink from Clay before he dropped down the bed, soon followed by Nick. Clay shuffled the cards and Noah knew that was a sign they needed to leave soon. Sometimes the younger generation joined the older in card games and such but not often. It was really just a time for Elena to relax like the old days and she couldn't as much with Noah or Reese around. Not like they used to anyway.

"It's epilepsy medicine not prescribed to him, but he may be taking it. It's odd that a werewolf would need medicine though, for that anyway," Elena told them and sat down as well. Noah shrugged and got up then followed by Reese. They bade the three goodnight and left the room quickly, going back down the hall to their own to find Layn asleep or pretending at least.

"Are you getting water?" Reese asked lowly as they got ready and Noah nodded saying that he would get them both water. He walked downstairs and into the kitchen to see Antonio locking the back door and alarming it. He turned and smiled at the boy who gave him a small smile back before going to the fridge.

"Noah, can I ask you something?" the older man asked. Noah nodded as he pulled some clean glasses from the dishwasher and set them on the counter to fill. "Do you like Layn?" he asked simply. Noah's shoulder's slumped a bit then. It seemed like he had been talking about Layn all day. It was starting to get on his nerves a bit.

"No, I know not too. Pretty much everyone has already told me to be careful, so I know, but thanks," Noah told the older man.

"It's fine if you do. We aren't trying to isolate the kid but just be careful is all, kiddo," Antonio smiled and patted Noah on the shoulder like a father. Noah blushed and concentrated on the glasses in his hand. He was never very good with emotion and things. When Noah looked back up Antonio nodded then and ushered him upstairs, telling Noah he'd be up in a bit. Antonio was always the one to double check the locks and the security system.

Noah was half asleep when Antonio slipped in and got ready for bed. The man was almost completely silent and Noah was almost asleep by the time the bed spring creaky slightly. He peered through the dark with only a bit of light from the moon to help his sight. Layn rolled over and moaned and Antonio froze but the other boy said no more, so Noah closed his eyes and let himself fall into sleep. Only to wake up to chaos a few hours later.

"Noah," someone said and Noah pushed whoever it was away to go back to sleep again. "Wake up," someone said again and shook him. Noah growled and opened his eyes to see Antonio looking down at him. Tonio took his arm and pulled him up and all Noah could think about was why a wolf was standing on the bed. The wolf was dark brown and reminded him of Nick and Antonio, but they were both in the room right then. He cocked his head and regarded Noah for a moment while sniffing the sheet and whining.

"Stay still," Antonio instructed with his hands on Noah's shoulders. Reese was on the other side of the room standing by the bathroom door and waiting for his own instructions.

"Layn?" Noah whispered now figuring out who it was. How the hell did he change without waking anyone up? Noah asked himself with his mind reeling. Layn looked over at him with his odd green and blue eyes and shook his head now, turning in the bed and yawning with another whine to show his teeth.

No one said anything for a moment and Noah wondered how they were going to get out of this when the door was shoved open and a black wolf stuck his head into the room. Dark eyes glanced at Noah and Antonio and then went to the unfamiliar wolf on the bed. Immediately Layn growled and leapt from the bed at Noah and Tonio. Antonio swore and pulled Noah out of the way, shielding the younger boy's body and yelling for Reese to stay still.

Noah, pinned below Antonio, assumed he would feel a bite or hear Antonio grunt in pain at any moment, but what he heard was another growl followed by a bigger growl and a whine. Noah sneaked a look from under Antonio to see that Layn had placed himself in front of Noah and Tonio and was growling at Jeremy, an unfamiliar wolf to him.

"He's protecting you," Reese said lowly which surprised Noah, but he didn't have time to think about it as Tonio, in one quick move, pulled Noah to his feet and dashed to the bathroom, ordering Reese inside and slamming the door shut. Outside they heard a second familiar growl and Noah held his breath as a yip of pain rang out.


	5. Chapter 5

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story _**Enraptured**_.

**Layn**

This happened a lot to Layn. He was a lightning fast changer and often woke up as a wolf without feeling any pain. That was not to say he didn't feel pain when he changed normally. All the pain was just compressed into a moment of unbelievable agony for him, or a few moments anyway.

Layn awoke and yawned feeling his snout dig into the blankets around him. He was furnace hot and struggled out the blankets hitting the wolf beside him. Flipping over and finally struggling up Layn saw the man open his eyes and swear. Layn growled as the man, by the smell and look Antonio, jumped up and almost tripped as he backed up over something on the floor.

Layn whined as the man crouched down to wake up Noah, Layn assumed, but his attention was pulled from this as a noise on the other side of the room made him growl. Reese, he thought anyway, his vision was a bit odd in this form with not as much light. Reese froze in the doorway and swore, again Layn thought, but he spoke to fast to catch the word.

Layn opened his mouth to yawn then and pawed a bit at the blankets. He saw the woods through the window and whined wanting to be out there but not how to get from point A to point B right then. He turned to the door then forcing his human brain to be in charge and think about the situation. After a few minutes of this and before he could formulate a plan a noise started him and he looked towards the door to see another wolf and a more dominate wolf he could tell.

Instantly all he could think about was protecting Noah. Even as a wolf this was forefront in his mind. Instinct took over and he jumped from the bed and landed in front of Noah turning towards the door. He saw Antonio cover Noah and swear, again he thought so anyway, but he turned away from them to growl at the oncoming wolf then.

Behind him he heard noise and something bang, he thought, as the black wolf came into the room and dipped his head growling. Layn growled back and bared his teeth. Behind the black wolf a blonde wolf came in and growled as well. Layn whined and backed up then knowing two against one wasn't lending him any advantages at all. He continued to growl as the two bigger wolves backed him into a corner. Only when he felt threatened and was trapped did he launch himself at the smaller of the two wolves, the blonde one. Immediately the blonde wolf leapt and met Layn in the air tackling him to the ground. The black wolf launched himself at Layn as well and they met in the air but the black wolves' weight pinned Layn to the floor as the blonde wolf landed and tried to grab Layn's neck to bite him lightly for submission.

Layn pulled back and she missed as he snapped at her nose but then he let out a painful yip as the black wolf bit his side distracting him. The blonde wolf quickly took Layn's neck in her mouth pinning him and biting down to force his obedience. Layn yipped in pain again and held still whining and breathing hard. None of the wolves moved for a moment as Layn tried not to struggle. As he was pinned there he sniffed in and realized that he was screwed. This was Jeremy and Elena and he was fighting against them. His human brain told him he may be dead by tomorrow for this one. He had already freaked out earlier and screwed himself over and now he was again. Now he forced his human mind to take over and stayed completely still.

Elena finally let him go and looked around as if forming a plan. Jeremy let go of Layn as well and looked over at her. Layn watched them as Elena walked to the bathroom door and scratched on it with a whine and then stepped back. After a moment the door opened slightly and Tonio stepped out looking at them now as Elena turned and trotted to the window jumping up to put her paws on the window seat and looking back at him. Tonio chuckled as he stepped around Layn and Jeremy and went to the window to open it.

"Want me to throw him out the window?" Antonio asked Elena who looked at Layn and then jerked her head in as close as a nod as she could. Layn watched as Tonio turned and walked to him crouching down. Slowly he set a hand in Layn's fur and petted him letting the wolf get used to his scent. Layn's growl turned to a whine as he reached over and licked the man's hand. "Easy," he said slowly and reached under him to pick him up. Layn squirmed but the man easily held him and took him to the window. "Land on your feet, kiddo," he said and crouched on the window seat. Suddenly Layn was falling and he yipped as he slammed into the ground not being coordinated enough to land on his feet yet.

He'd be bruised and battered when he turned back but nothing seemed to be broken. Layn slowly stood then shaking himself off and sniffed testing his senses now and picking up owl, plants and rabbit. Behind him he heard two similar thumps and turned to see the other bigger wolves. Layn backed up and chuffed lying down and putting his head on his paws eyeing them. They had already established that they were dominant and he was trying hard to remember this would all come back to bite him in the ass when he was human again so he needed to obey now.

Jeremy huffed and looked at Elena who growled at Layn and then took off towards the woods. Layn immediately got up and followed lopping off knowing the growl was an order to follow and obey. Layn noticed that Jeremy didn't go until he followed and he heard the other wolves' paws behind him.

Layn stopped once he was inside and sniffed picking up the scent trail. He felt Jeremy nip his behind and he turned and snapped at the other wolf playfully. Jeremy snorted and swiped at him now jumping back. Both wolves stopped when they heard a howl in the woods and snapped their heads up immediately racing towards the Alpha's call.

Layn felt his paws hit the ground and the wind whip through his fur. This was the best feeling in the world. Layn jumped over a log and landed on the other side of a large clearing but slipped in the mud he didn't see and yipped as he fell on his ass in front of the Alpha. Behind him Jeremy landed gracefully and chuffed. Layn looked up with his head cocked and a growl now. Elena cocked her head and watched the smaller wolf before leaping at him and tackling him to the ground. Layn growled as she bounced away and then stopped a few feet in front of him with her paws on the ground and her butt in the air inviting him to play.

Behind him Jeremy leapt over Layn's back and tackled Elena now. Layn was confused as this but watched as Jeremy tackled her and they both growled at one another biting and yipping. Layn soon jumped into the action trying to bite at Elena's ear and Jeremy's flank. He'd never played with other wolves before having always changed alone.

He nipped, yipped and leapt around until Elena pushed him away with a growl and sniffed catching the smell of food. Layn jumped up and sniffed as well cocking his head to the side and listening for any noise in the woods. As only a quarter of the pack was present going after something big was not an option but smaller animals were perfect. Layn put his noise to the ground now and walked around sniffing and trying to pick up a trail but Elena's howl pulled his head back up. Again, she took off and Jeremy looked over at him and chuffed. Layn understood and he took off after her like before.

Elena was waiting for them at the edge of a smaller semi cleared area where some rabbits were frolicking, a rather large one and some smaller ones. Layn quieted and waited smelling and hearing Jeremy come up beside him. None of them moved until Elena jumped from the clearing and tackling the bigger rabbit. Immediately Jeremy and Layn leapt from their hiding places and started chasing the others.

After he had had his full Layn lay down where he was and started licking his paws. Beside he heard a whine and looked up in time to see a giant tongue licking his face. Layn growled and tried to back up, not used to this kind of attention, but Elena pawed his head and then pinned him down with her weight so she could do as she pleased. Layn wasn't sure how long this went on because his yawn betrayed the fact that he was wiped out and in a matter of seconds, unlike when he tried to sleep as a human, he was asleep.

Layn was cold in his dreams, so cold he awoke with a violent shiver only to realize he was colder in real life. He opened his eyes to see grass sprinkled with dew droplets and above him a cold sky. His teeth were chattering and he had to force them to stop as he sat up fully human now and looked around. Water droplet slide from his skin and hit the ground making a distinct plinking sound. Had he changed and come out here alone? Layn wondered and got up looking around and crossing his arms over his chest for warmth. Which way was the house? Layn asked himself and turned in a circle trying to decipher where he even was. He was about to start walking in any direction to figure out where he was when he heard someone walking and a bush rustle.

Elena emerged wrapped in a wool blanket and carrying an extra for Layn. Maybe they had a hide out around here with extra clothes and things. He gratefully took it and covered himself feeling warmer right away. As soon as his brain began to thaw he remembered what had actually taken place and he glanced at Elena worriedly. "I'm really sorry. I guess that's common though, huh?" he asked. Elena watched him a moment and Layn was trying to figure out if the look said she thought Layn was joking or being an idiot. Layn coloured getting a bit worried and bit his lip unconsciously.

Finally she shook her head and answered him distracting Layn from Jeremy coming out from the same direction Elena had come from. "No, Layn. That is not normal. No one I know changes like that. What you did was…odd," she finished. As she spoke a flock of birds rose from a tree squeaking and generally being annoying, an ominous sign. One Layn didn't like.

Layn swallowed and looked at the ground blinking now. "I've almost always done it this way though. I mean…sometimes I make myself change when I want as well but, most of the time; I just change in my sleep. It's a lot less painful anyway," Layn said looking up at her again. Elena looked as if she wasn't sure about this but she wouldn't say anything in front of him. He assumed she would do research on it and talk to the others. Maybe Layn should do some research himself.

"Spontaneous changing," Jeremy mused now and waved them both to start walking towards the house. Elena touched Layn's arm and gave him an encouraging smile seeing his dismay. Encouraging but not entirely warm and he could hardly blame her and them. He supposed he had only been here a few days.

"I'm sure this is just something we haven't encountered yet," she said and Layn nodded. He wasn't sure if he was more surprised about her being nice to him or about hearing he wasn't normal. He knew none of them had really been mean to him at all but he knew they didn't trust him yet either and were keeping a bit of a distance. If they had to kill him after all they didn't want to feel bad about it.

"So, you're not….?" Layn asked trailing off because he wasn't sure about the right word. They found a pathway to the house and Layn watched the ground to carefully avoid cutting his feet. Next time he'd stash some clothes out here as well. It only made sense.

"At your age changing is never a choice, Layn. You didn't attack or hurt anyone and you listened, for the most part, when he told you too. So, no you're not in trouble and I'm not angry. I would like to research this…spontaneous changing though, so I'll be asking you some questions later," Elena told him. Interrogation. Wonderful. At least this one would not be painful.

Layn nodded and was silent the rest of the walk to the house. He wondered what Noah would think of this. He also wondered if he should contact Jay about it. His mind could not seem to arrive on any concrete plan, action or thought at all. He must need food.

As they neared the house Layn glanced at the back yard to see Reese and Noah raking the leaves and piling them in bags. Morgan sat on the porch steps looking a bit better but like he had little energy. Layn still wondered what exactly was wrong with him and why he wasn't better now. "You'll help them after you eat," Elena ordered and Layn nodded. Yard work wasn't his favorite, no chore was, but he would willingly do it. After all he was part of the younger generation and would be expected to do the same work or even more maybe.

Reese looked up and waved at the trio as they came from the woods grinning an easy grin. Would he have smiled if it were just Layn himself he wondered? Probably not considering the other wolf's attitude to Layn at first, again, not hating him but there was no warmth there. Next Morgan looked up and nodded at them.

Layn tried to catch Noah's eye but he had only glanced up for a millisecond before focusing on his work again. Damn Layn growled in his head scolding himself. He had thought that Noah and him had bonded a bit and the other boy would be more receptive to taking his trust. He'd have to work twice as hard then he supposed.

Layn walked up the back porch passing by Morgan and feeling the hard wood under his feet, warm and reassuring. He always loved the feeling of wood no matter if he was just near it or touching it. The smell and the feel was the most reassuring and calming thing in the world and every piece of wood and tree smelled different. Black Maple was his favorite and thankfully there were a few in the woods here.

The smell of food stopped Layn dead inside the doorway and his stomach growled loudly. He couldn't stop though, as eating would require clothes. Layn nodded to Antonio and Nick was milling around the counter with coffee but quickly moved off upstairs to find clothing. He noticed the house was absent of the noise of children so they must be at school.

The young werewolf bounded up the stairs and to the room he was staying in. After a quick shower he grabbed the same sweat pants he had been wearing and then looked down at his knee forgetting he was hurt. Was he supposed to heal that fast? Layn asked himself and fingered the scar. He knew he was a quick healer but this quick was a little odd. He brushed off the odd feeling and pulled on the borrowed pants before grabbing the last clean t-shirt from his bag and pulling it on.

Downstairs Antonio and Nick still were still talking at the counter but they stopped when Layn came through again. The young werewolf tried to ignore the awkward feeling of walking in on a conversation that was not meant for him to hear and looked around for the food but not seeing it. "The oven," Nick gestured and Layn nodded walking to the appliance and opening it to find three plates of warmed food. Quickly he took one and took a cup of coffee Antonio pushed his way as well. Layn nodded and exited the kitchen so the two could keep speaking either about him or pack business. Who knew?

Layn expected Elena and Jeremy to join him but he saw no one. Maybe they ate somewhere else then. Maybe they just all had important matters to discuss that couldn't involve him. Fifteen minutes later he was outside and shoving dead leaves into bags. "Fun night?" Reese asked. Layn shrugged and said nothing to this as he started helping them with this hated chore.

"How did you do it?" Noah finally asked after a few more minutes of silence that seemed to last forever. Layn looked at him and shrugged. Noah rolled his eyes and went back to ignoring the other boy then. Layn saw Reese watching them both but he said nothing.

Layn considered his options. He knew the main goal was getting Noah's trust so the objective to the game was giving him what he wanted little by little. "I don't know, honestly, Noah. I have just always been able to do it like this. Changing while I sleep and suddenly waking up a wolf. I imagine it is like you changing back while you sleep but I don't know really. It was as scary as shit the first time too, I was on my own…," Layn said but then stopped noticing he had both of their attention and probably Morgan's too but he couldn't see Morgan from here.

"You were by yourself?" Noah asked and Layn nodded. Reese and Noah then exchanged a glance that Layn couldn't interpret. He'd have to spend a lot more time around them and the others to understand their body language and looks.

"What happened?" Reese asked leaning on his rake and watching Layn now. He could tell Reese was storing information to tell them all later. Layn wasn't quite sure how he felt about this. It was like his life was on display for everyone and nothing was private.

"Luckily I was stuck in a room with a closed window and door. I could smell the human though. I whined and scratched trying to get out but no one was near enough. I tried to howl but it didn't work so well. If it had…," Layn said and sighed.

"You would have been meeting us a lot sooner and gotten a nice little warning," Morgan said before anyone else could speak up. Reese nodded and Layn swallowed and looked away. He knew the pack would give one warning for young werewolves in the form of a beating. After that it was death. No second chances. It was much too important to just keep giving chances to every young stupid mutt.

"How many times have you changed?" Noah asked now. Layn thought for a moment before answering. Again, truth or a lie? It seemed as if his life had become a distinction between lying and telling the truth, between trying to figure out what move to make next like a giant chess game. He was never good at chess and it bored him to tears.

"Including this time it's been about ten or so," Layn lied. He started changing early, he hadn't been lying about being alone, but he had been changing since he was fifteen or so. So, he supposed he had really changed about 150 times or so, enough to know what he was doing at least.

"Even I changed before that," Noah snorted. Layn just stared at him for a moment and then looked away. He knew Noah didn't have a lot of confidence, according to Jay, or he didn't when Jay knew him, so Layn would let him have this one.

Reese just shook his head at them and went back to work. "I heard that if you change late you're always going to be behind on other wolf stuff, wonder if that's true," Noah said casually. Layn shrugged not letting it bother him. If he really had been a late changer it would have bothered him but since he was living a lie, this was fine.

"No, it's not," they all heard and looked up to see Nick standing there with crossed arms. "It's a jibe used on pack youth to tease them and I don't want to hear it again. Let me tell you why," he said and waited a moment until, as far as Layn could tell, everyone had their eyes on him.

"Daniel, he was a pack member and an outsider. Clay and I…we always teased him because he was a jerk even as a kid and especially when he was around his brothers. This is when the pack was more divided between good and bad. Us and them. My Poppa was Alpha. Anyway, Daniel was a very late changer. He was twenty before he changed and we teased him with the same words. He was a late bloomer and he'd always be late in everything and stuff like that. When the pack finally divided he left with his father. He and father later became man eaters. Reese, you met his uncle Raymond Santos," Nick mentioned and Reese nodded with an irritated look.

"Years later he attacked us with some other mutts. Payback. We lost two of my friends and we almost lost Clay too, who he kidnapped. If we had become friends with Daniel maybe the incident would not have happened. I think things may have changed but Clay doesn't. The point is that you are all pack brothers and no one will tease one another like that. Teasing is ok, we do that as a pack, but that kind of teasing, making someone feel ashamed, that's not right and it won't be tolerated. Everyone got it?" Nick asked.

Layn nodded along with the others at Nick's serious look now. "I don't think he meant anything by it," Layn shrugged and looked at Noah who nodded.

"I know, but we don't want any diversity here. You never know how people really feel and we can't have a divided pack again. Pack brothers are for life and you all need to have one another's backs. One day you'll be the ones in charge and teaching the younger generation. Remember that," he told them and again Layn nodded with the others.

"Heavy mate, heavy," Reese muttered and Nick nodded before he lunged at Reese and took him down into a pile of leaves. Reese yelled and fought back as Layn laughed along with Noah and Morgan.

"I really am sorry," Noah said and Layn nodded.

"Not like I wouldn't do the same," Layn told him and it was Noah's turn to nod. Layn continued to watched Nick and Reese in the close fight. Nick wasn't the best fighter but he was good. Reese was an excellent fighter especially for his age. It was definitely a close one but in the end Nick pinned Reese. Layn wasn't sure if Reese actually lost or let Nick win. Maybe it would seem bad if Reese could beat Nick but maybe Nick really was just a bit better.

After they cleaned up the mess from Nick and Reese's fight and finished bagging the leaves Layn walked to the study with his hands shoved in his pocket. He saw Elena at her laptop tying and Clay reading a magazine, something about Anthropology. Antonio was at the second desk still working on his computer. Layn knew, from research, he owned four companies and worked sixty to eighty hours a week. He was an absurdly busy guy. On the opposite couch Nick was going through his phone.

Layn cleared his throat and got their attention but only looked at Elena. "As per our deal, I'm leaving for a bit. On my own so, don't worry," Layn said and waited for her to nod or accept this.

"How are you going out?" she asked now. Layn opened his mouth to answer that he would be taking his usual mode of transportation but he then remembered it had been confiscated. With a glance at Nick he shrugged and turned to Elena again.

"I'll walk," he answered. Elena gave him a critical look.

"The kids need to be picked up soon anyway; someone will give you a drive," she announced. Layn inwardly growled but on the outside he only nodded. He didn't want company. This was a personal mission he wanted to alone. It was slightly embarrassing. Layn stood there for a moment but when no one said anything and it was becoming uncomfortable he took off. His destination was now his room and his wallet.

Next Layn took out the pills he needed to swallow, like horse pills he often gripped, he knew that was dramatic. When he heard voices seconds later he rushed to the bathroom locking the door before anyone could see him. He leaned against the door for a second before he walked to the sink and bent down to get some water reading the medicine. "Layn," someone called through the door and the young werewolf cursed and dropped the pills on the floor with a clatter. They spilled in different directions around the tile floor.

"One sec," he yelled and crouched picking everything up and getting it ready again. He was almost out and he needed some serious time by himself to get more. The medication was two pills a day, something called Oxcarbazepine or Trileptal. It gave him some serious mood swings sometimes but it seemed to be working. He did have a fake prescription that worked where he was normally located but it might not work here, raiding the local pharmacy might work if it didn't but what about after that. He should come clean but it was just too…private he guessed.

Finally he had done what he needed to and shoved the empty pill bottle to the back of the sink cabinet before stepping out. Noah sat on the bed looking at his phone. "Antonio said he is leaving in five minutes," the other boy informed. Layn nodded his thanks and started to walk away but Noah spoke again.

"You might want to change out of those," he said gesturing to the sweatpants. Layn bit his lip again and then forced himself to stop. Instead of answering he just shrugged and walked away. He didn't care how he looked at all, honestly. He wasn't like other teens in that regard. He did care, though that he was wearing clothes that were not his own but for the most part he could deal with not looking the best at every possible moment. He was jostled from his thought by a call from downstairs seconds later and was in the foyer moments after looking at Antonio who held car keys and had his arms crossed.

"Let's go, kid," he said and Layn nodded. He hadn't gotten to know this pack member much since he started staying with them. The man was Nick's dad and Nick was ok, mostly, but this guy looked like a mini hulk. Layn figure he had been an enforcer once upon a time. He also figured the man could still beat almost anyone. That wasn't what bothered him most though. What bothered him most was the fact that he didn't know how anyone of them would react alone. Humans acted differently when they with others as opposed to when they were by themselves. Did this guy have a mean streak?

The walk to the SUV was silent as were the first few minutes of driving. Layn watched out the window at the trees and scenery spotting civilization coming slowly into view eventually the further they drove. Smaller housed at first but soon it looked more like suburbia. Layn was surprised when Antonio didn't turn down the main road, probably Main Street, into Bear Valley. Instead, he kept going until there was more greenery than civilization again.

"The twins go to private school in Syracuse," Antonio said answering Layn's silent question. The younger werewolf nodded. It figured. The kids were very smart it seemed and the pack had lots of money. Of course they would go to private school.

"Layn, why are you really here?" the man finally asked as they neared a stop sign. Layn's breath caught in his throat like a breath of air you can't seem to catch on the wind. He didn't dare look at the older man. Layn figured he was the oldest in the pack and, he also knew that he was one of the most important members too.

"For…help," Layn finally answered and chanced a glance at the man who eyed him critically. Finally the man nodded. "Then let me give you some advice. Let us help you. Stop fighting and stop acting like we will kill you every second, ok?" he said and Layn nodded.

"I'll try, but…you don't really know what it's like is all, barely any of you do. You were all raised in the pack. You all know your place and where you fit in. Maybe there are a few exceptions, especially with the younger generation, but still. Being on your own isn't easy. There aren't very many people you can trust. There's not one to teach you anything. Then when people show up they don't trust you so it's hard to trust them," Layn admitted. He had said much more than he intended to say and he chastised himself for it. Always have to screw up somehow it seemed.

"No, I don't understand completely, Layn, and you're right. I always had people but I have seen how it has affected Noah and Reese who both have no one. That's why we try and take in young werewolves and help them. You see we haven't hurt Reese or Noah yet, so you can relax a little, kiddo," he advised. Layn nodded then not knowing what to say. Was the man being nice for a reason? Was he laying a trap? Or, for once, did someone just really want to help with no ulterior motive? Layn had no idea and desperately wished he could read minds.

Once they passed the sign for Syracuse and travelled into the downtown core Layn asked the man to drop him off and gave him his number, receiving his in return, to contact him when he was done. "Thanks," Layn called as he hopped out. He saw Antonio nod but he took off before the man could say anything. He was assuming the man might follow him but he hoped he wouldn't. This was just another thing about being in the pack he supposed. He didn't really get a lot of choices.

Layn found the store he wanted after a few minutes of walking and after asking a few people politely where it might be, the local thrift store. In his opinion this was the best place to get clothing. Sure, it smelled like humans but after washing them a few times they were fine. He could tell most of the pack didn't buy their clothes here though. Especially Nick. The image made Layn laugh to picture is and he shook his head he perused the isles. In the end he found a few pairs of jeans, a pair of sweat pants, a hoodie and some new converse sneakers, well new to him and in much better shape than his own and so he proclaimed it a good day. His purchases came to forty dollars and some odd cents.

His next stop was the pharmacy. This one he was not so sure about but he had to try. With no small amount of courage and the thrift shop bag slung over his shoulder he walked in, trying to look like he owned the place. He'd learned confidence went a long way to getting you what you wanted. This time it worked. The pharmacist looked at the piece of paper skeptically and shook his head but said nothing. Layn ran into many people like this. They would pretend to care but not enough to actually do anything about it. He walked out of the store twenty minutes later with what he needed in hand. He wouldn't need to let anyone in on his secret and could concentrate on Noah instead. This was the best way. The only way to do what he came to do.

Layn sighed and looked down at his phone texting Antonio to see where he was. Seconds later the other werewolf told him to walk down S Salina Street until he hit E Taylor Street and Wilson Park. It took him a good twenty minutes to walk there at a fast pace but he spotted the kids and Antonio easily. Antonio was not just one to sit on the side while the kids played. Layn saw that this man, when possible, got in and chased the kids around, tickled them and generally ran after them to tire them out. He seemed like a good man but he had been warned that they all seemed nice at first so he'd need to be careful.

Layn sat on a nearby bench and watched them. He hadn't had a lot of experience with good parenting, except on TV of course, but this looked like the best example he was app to get. Finally the twins begged to go off and join some school friends that came to the park as well and Antonio let them walking back to Layn and taking a seat. The twins didn't seem like the type that would enjoy other children and playground visits but they were just kids too. He guessed they liked to act like it sometimes.

"I promised I would take the kids out for a while," he explained and Layn nodded but said nothing. "Did you get everything you needed?" Tonio asked now.

"Yeah," Layn said not in a very convincing tone. Tonio eyes him for a bit suspiciously but Layn made a point of blatantly looking anywhere but at the man. Finally Antonio's eyes went from him to the playground where the twins were talking animatedly to some other kids. When he looked back at Layn he had a questioning look in his eyes.

Layn looked at the ground for a moment and then at the man refusing to look away again, be a man he told himself. That is what everyone always said in books and on TV and, even if he had no experiences to compare it too, it felt like a fitting moment to use the phrase.

"Do you all live at Stonehaven, all together?" Layn asked suddenly trying to change the subject. He could tell the man was getting ready to ask him the same questions as before. Maybe he was hoping to intimidate Layn. He was definitely a scary guy but Layn wouldn't back down. Antonio looked surprised and then chuckled shaking his head and stood calling the kids over to go home.

"No, the boys and I live at my family estate. We're taking you there in a few days," he mentioned. Layn froze looking at the man but waited for him to call the kids again before he addressed Layn. "Morgan stays there only sometimes but we have plenty of room and Nick can easily keep an eye on all of you there. Stonehaven just isn't big enough for everyone," he said.

"I suppose I don't really get a say," Layn asked but the man shook his head. He was sure if he really wanted to stay where he was that Elena would let him. Really, he had to follow Noah though. He wasn't quite sure what he would do while he was there. He didn't have a job and he was out of school. Noah had school and the rest has work. He supposed Morgan didn't though. Maybe he'd hang out with the sick man then.

"Hi Layn," Logan called when he and his sister came bouncing up. Layn smiled at them and noticed that while they both half smiled and greeted him but they were wary and stayed close to Antonio. It seemed they somewhat trusted him around a lot of pack members but when it was just him and one or two of the others they would be a bit more standoffish.

Once at home Layn briefly waved to the pack members before heading his room, the gather his old clothes, and then to the basement where Antonio said the laundry room was. He wanted to wash some of the smells off of these clothes before he wore them. The door to the laundry room creaked and the steps looked old and worn but, surprisingly, they made no noise as the young werewolf descended.

Catching sight of the cage he knew was down here he stopped and stared at it. The old lumpy looking cot inside, the drain on the floor and the slightly tinged cement telling him this was the room they murdered in, tortured in. The thought made him shutter. How long would it be until he was there? Enduring punishment for his crimes and his future betrayal?

He almost turned and ran from the room and back up the stairs but a shadow was standing in the doorway watching him from the top. Quickly Layn unstiffened and looked away from the person making his way to the washer again and staring at the dials to use it. It was one of the newer models that held more and was more efficient and not user friendly. As he stared at the machine, chastising himself for his stupidity in his momentary second of fear, he heard footsteps descending and smelled as well as sensed someone behind him. Jeremy.

"Here," the man said softly and reached around him to turn on the washer. Layn watched carefully and nodded to the man as he took some soap and poured it in along with his clothing and shut the lid. Once that was done Layn hopped up on the washer lid and faced the older man now with a shy smile, or what he hoped was one anyone. One thing about being here was that his acting skill might improve some hopefully.

Jeremy smiled slightly back and busied himself with the clothes in the drier. The real reason he was here. Once he was done he let Layn to himself. The young werewolves thoughts were jumble and he was all over the place right then. Shaking his head he looked around and spotted a book on a nearby chair. It must be something someone left while doing something down here. Layn didn't want to know what though. Hoping off he picked it up seeing it was a mystery, a mystery novel and laundry. Who ever said that werewolves led dull lives?

Layn let the gentle vibrations of the washer beneath him lull him into the story he was holding onto. He was just starting to get to know the protagonist when he heard a soft throat clearing. Startled he looked up to see Noah watching him bemused. Layn coloured and set the book aside crossing his arms now. "It's not often I get startled anymore," he admitted and Noah nodded plunking himself down on a chair he had fetched near the cage and drug over.

"We need to talk," he said ignoring Layn's statement and the soft hum of the washer stopping. Layn swallowed and watched the serious boy suddenly feeling a bit of dread creep in. There was the set of his jaw and his green eyes growing so much more serious now as well as the tightness around his face that reminded him of his father. Layn could not deny that Noah was definitely Joseph's son, a much younger version, and that scared him a bit. Joseph was not a nice man now. Did Noah have the same cruelty inside him? The same capacity to turn mean when it suited him? Joseph used to be a timid guy and scared of what he was but now, on the run from the pack and having lost everything because of them he was not so timid anymore. How much did Noah act like his father Layn wondered?


	6. Chapter 6

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story _**Enraptured**_.

**Layn**

Layn slid off the washer and turned from the other pack member to take his clothes out and throw them in the drier now. Turning his back on Noah showed a sign of trust and submission. Noah was technically older and Layn needed to validate that feeling to gain any trust with him. The things he had been doing before was semi working, but he knew new tactics would be needed to form a bond between them.

Noah waited until Layn had the drier switched on and had resumed his seat on top of the washer crossed legged to begin. "I've been thinking about it and what you did doesn't make sense," Noah started. Layn searched his mind now for what Noah could mean. He supposed he could mean any number of things that didn't make sense. He'd be right. His freak out with Jaime was clearly nonsensical, as was he spontaneously changing and his shuttered nature around most of them. "Why did you protect me?" Noah asked now with curiosity blazing in his eyes. Layn stared at him a moment before it clicked. When he was a wolf he had protected Noah on instinct.

"You know what we do as wolves is usually unexplained. I saw you there and I guess my wolf considered you a friend and therefore protected you," Layn shrugged nonchalantly. Noah eyed him as if he didn't believe him at all. Layn was afraid of this.

"That doesn't make any sense, we barely know one another," Noah said suspiciously. Layn sighed then and bit his lip, not noticing for a few moments. It was an old nervous habit he was trying to get rid of, but whenever things like this happened it was an automatic response.

"I don't really know anyone here so I guess my wolf latched onto the person he felt he liked or knew best," Layn suggested. Noah opened his mouth about to validate or deny Layn's answer but Nick's voice interrupted their discussion.

"We're playing touch football, the boys and I, and the twins too. You in?" he called down the stairs. Layn assumed he meant Morgan and Reese when he said boys. Layn nodded and glanced at Noah who seemed a bit annoyed but said nothing. He had come to find out that Nick was Noah's god around here and he would rarely dispute what he said.

"I want to talk later," Noah growled before he turned and headed towards the stairs and up, not waiting for Layn. Layn wasn't sure if he was gaining ground with Noah at all now. It seemed as if he was sometimes but then other times it seemed as if Noah was ready to strike out at him or dismiss him. He considered this for a moment as he listened to his clothes thump around in the drier. It seemed to him that if he had Noah alone he could influence him or simply convince him to like him. Then Noah would go with other pack members who would convince him not to be so trustworthy or put doubts in his mind possibly. It seemed likely.

Layn had about two seconds to ponder this before Nick called for him again. He didn't dare ignore the man a second time so, after a quick check to see what time the drier was at, he walked towards the steps and took them two at a time to go and find the others.

Outside Reese and Nick were tossing the ball to the twins. Reese smiled at him but Noah only glanced up and away again. Why was the one guy he was supposed to make friends with making it so difficult? Reese glanced at Noah and then at Layn sensing something was up, but he didn't comment on it. Thankfully Nick didn't notice anything was off.

"You ever played?" Reese called. Layn shrugged and waited for them to instruct him and form teams.

They spent the next hour tackling, yelling, throwing and getting muddy. At first Layn was nervous and held back, but Nick never let him be anti-social for long and soon he had forgotten he was new here. For a while Layn did forget about everything, even Noah wasn't as tense anymore, and he was able to laugh and smile as if he really did have a family, as if he had friends and people who cared, cared because they loved him and not because they had to, or because they were paid to. Sometimes that hurt the worse. Layn was sprawled on the ground on his back laughing, muddy and feeling better when Nick looked over him and held out a hand. Layn grinned, a real smile this time and accepted his helping hand. He was hauled to his feet seconds later.

**Elena**

The Alpha watched through the window as the boys and the twins played with Nick in the back yard. She knew they would keep Layn in line and she wasn't worried about it. She was worried about this latest piece of information. Layn was either sick or he was taking drugs, so now she had two young werewolves on medication and struggling with problems. One was hard enough. She wondered if telling Layn that they knew would be the right move but decided against it for now. They would get this sorted out eventually.

Was he telling the truth about anything was the real question? She had suspicions about this particular young man. Something was off about him. She was a bit doubtful of him in the beginning but he was a kid, a child compared to them, and so she figured it was just a natural distrust of strangers. Soon after she was fine with him knowing he really was a young werewolf who needed help. It wasn't until he fought Noah that she became even more suspicious. Something about his moves wasn't natural. It was as if he was trying too hard. One moment it seemed as if he knew what he was doing but the next it didn't.

She and Clay had exchanged glances a few times during the fight. He was suspicious as well, but they hadn't had time to discuss it with the kids and Layn being hurt. This latest issue with him might be a good thing though. With him away she could consult the others about her suspicions. She knew she was right, that was never an issue, a very good thing about being Alpha, but she still wanted their input. That is partly how a pack worked. She made the plans but she could, and did, consult the others. She could choose to ignore them if she wanted, but she knew being in charge didn't mean taking over and ordering everyone around. Clay, Jeremy, Antonio and Nick were the oldest and most experienced pack members. She would be a fool to think she didn't need their help or their advice. She didn't consider herself a dictator after all.

Behind her she heard almost silent footsteps, light on the instep but heavier on the arch. Clay. She stayed still as he approached and felt his arms snake around her waist. "Darling, we're alone for a while," he reminded. Elena immediately smiled. Nick was distracting everyone outside and barring that Antonio was ready with food for when they were done. Morgan was sleeping and Karl had left to go be with Hope, taking his daughter with him.

Immediately Elena turned and Clay reached down to pull her into a long hard kiss. Every time, no matter how long it had been, he could take her breath away and make her feel like she was twenty again and sitting in his class watching him. When she was sure he didn't notice her, not like that anyway, and she could at least pretend that he did. Now she didn't have too. He was all hers and she was a jealous lover. Nick might flirt and play but in the end she was Clay's and Clay was hers.

Elena ended the kiss and pulled away from her mate. Clay eyed her with his eyes darkening as she grinned wickedly and backed away. His eyes followed her in predator mode as she backed up the door and then turned and raced upstairs. She knew he would wait until she hit the top step before he dashed after. This game was a well-practiced game between the two of them and both knew their parts. Elena made it to their room and onto the bed with her shirt half off by the time he appeared in the doorway and pounced onto the bed and her, grinning down at her. Elena smiled up at him with a wicked glow and he gave a soft growl and covered her mouth in another hard kiss while bringing his hands to her breasts and fondling them.

Elena wasn't even sure she remembered what she was worried about before as she lay naked in her lover's arms an hour later. To her one of the best parts about being Alpha was the fact that Clay could make her forget about it. She sighed and felt Clay's chest muscles rumple as he almost purred in relief. She supposed it was odd to think of a wolf as purring but it was the closest approximation she could come up with.

"We need to talk, don't we?" Elena asked after another moment of comfortable silence. She didn't want to talk about pack business, but she had to take her opportunities where she could.

"Nah, darling, we never have to talk about pack business again," Clay said with his chest rumbling. Elena chuckled as well and rolled her eyes, looking up at him through her lashes.

"I wish," she muttered and Clay chuckled again at this and waited for her to speak now. She knew he would keep silent until she explained or spoke her mind and Clay was nothing if not patient when he wanted to be. "Layn's fighting the other day. It was…," she trailed off, looking for the word.

"Forced?" Clay asked and Elena nodded. "Nick noticed it too, but he hasn't said anything and Tonio and Jer were thinking the same thing," he said. Elena made a noise of agreement and sat up then, reaching for her shirt. Before she could grab it Clay reached for her again and pulled himself forward, showing her how ready he was for another go, but before anything could happen they both heard loud voices of two young werewolves play fighting.

"The brood returns," Elena sighed but Clay made an 'I don't care' noise and persisted with distracting her. Hours later, after finally getting away from Clay whom she convinced to go on a walk with the kids, Elena was scanning articles on her laptop and waiting for a call from Paige or Lucas. Reese had taken Noah and Layn into Syracuse for a movie so she could think and research for a while and to make sure none of them felt trapped or suffocated here. She well remembered being a teenager and yearning for freedom from responsibilities and from an adult's watchful eye. Not that many adults in her adolescence had cared that much what she did but still.

She'd used some of her newspaper resources to try and see if she could find information on Layn. She didn't find many people his age with the same name and none of them were him anyway. He was either off the radar before he contacted the pack or was under an assumed name. Why would he need one though? What purpose could he possibly be hiding? She wondered as her cell phone rang.

Elena glanced at caller I.D. and smiled. Paige Winterbourne-Cortez was one of her closest female friends. She didn't have a lot of them, being more of a tom boy honestly, but she had felt a longing for female companionship most of her life. It was in small ways and she was never the type to go on a New York shopping spree like Jaime and Savannah, but she still needed something a little more than the mostly male pack could provide. Though, having Jaime here a lot more now did help.

"Paige," Elena smiled as she answered the phone. She knew her good mood would reach though and be noticeable to her friend almost immediately. Paige and Elena had not always been friends. At first she was the annoying young witch who tried too hard and thought she knew it all. Getting to know her better helped as did her being with Lucas, her husband, and Savannah, her ward, coming along.

"Elena, how are you? How are the kids?" Paige asked immediately and they fell into casual girl talk about the twins' latest escapade, an experiment with the garden hose, and Savannah's newest idea for office advancement involving some kind of witch powered death ray.

When they finally got around to the topic Elena had called about, Paige passed her over to Adam who had actually met with Layn first. "He was nervous, wouldn't tell me what he wanted at first so I put him at ease by suggesting food," Adam chuckled and Elena snorted. Werewolves and teenage boys had the consumption of all food in the universe in common. "I finally got his supernatural type out of him and what he wanted. I was a bit skeptical at first but he was adamant. I offered him a place to stay until you guys could meet up with him; I was worried about him in the area and not being able to keep an eye on him. In the few days he stayed with Sav and I didn't see anything off about him. He was polite and helped out where he could. He seemed like a typical teen to us," Adam explained.

"He didn't give you a different name? Anything different than what he told us?" she pried but Adam could only tell her what she already knew. With a sigh, and a promise to meet him and Savannah for lunch soon, she hung up. Him and Savannah were official now and had been for a few years. They all figured it was about time.

"Anything?" she heard from the doorway and looked over to see Jeremy. She shook her head and drummed her fingers against the desk. "Perhaps, it would be best to look in Europe or abroad. He did mention he was born there. Possibly Canada would be good as well?" he suggest casually.

Elena nodded as he walked to his chair and lowered himself down looking thoughtfully at her. Before she became Alpha he would have asked her to look into other sources abroad, but now it was a suggestion. It had taken a long time to get used to that. "I'll ask Nick to look into Europe if you'll try Canada," she said. Jeremy smiled his secret smile and said nothing. "I would ask Noah or Reese, but I don't want to alert them to anything being off, though Reese already suspects something of course. Can't get much past him but we'll keep it from Noah for now," she told the man who was as close as she had ever had to a father figure.

"For now it may be a good idea to keep him uniformed, but if he and Layn become closer , given their ages, then Layn may trust Noah and tell him things he won't tell us," Jeremy said as casually as if he were asking about the weather, but Elena knew he was anything but casual about this. This was a message to her the only way he could give it, not in the form of an order given her status. He was telling her to make sure to use every resource at her availability, even the younger members, anything to protect the pack. All werewolves had the instinct to protect the pack, but Elena was in charge of how they went about it.

Elena nodded to this and sent a thank you to the man. Jeremy's smile reached his eyes when he looked at her and she wondered why she was ever afraid of this man. At first, when she thought he was holding her prisoner, he was a monster and any kindness he sent her way was just a way for him to manipulate her. Now, he was a man who inspired her, who saved her.

The Alpha glanced at the clock behind Jeremy then and saw that the twins would probably be home soon. She'd have to fix a snack and make sure the next few hours of her schedule were cleared. "I'll help you," Jeremy said, standing now. He always knew exactly where her thoughts were. Elena nodded and stood as well, heading to the kitchen. Outside she could hear Noah and Reese practicing. Reese had come to them fight ready and was an excellent sparring partner for both Morgan and Noah. She hadn't realized they had come home from the movies. Layn was nowhere in sight, but he was probably on his own walking. He seemed to like his alone time.

She turned her attention back to the boys again and glanced out the window then to watch their progress before she turned back and looked at the ceiling as if she could see through it to where Morgan was. Most likely sleeping she thought. The poison had taken its toll on his, body but he was slowly working it out. Unfortunately the only solution they had since they couldn't find a cure.

Jeremy was just getting the carrots out of the fridge when she refocused on the scene. They alternated days with the kids when it came to food now, three days a week they had a healthy snack, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the other two days they were allowed to have cookies or a treat. They wanted to keep their diet healthy but knew they couldn't forbid it or they would just want it more.

Elena knew it was now or never if she wanted to speak to Jeremy. Any moment the kids would come barreling through the door and everything would be about them for the next few hours. Elena always looked forward to hanging out with her children, especially after a few hours without them, and after a life time of thinking she could not have them, but it was also hard to find time to talk about pack business with them around.

"What do you think of Layn's fighting style?" she finally asked him. Jeremy looked up, making an 'um' noise and thought about the question for a moment. As he did she went to the cupboard and grabbed the fruit bars, bringing them back to the table where the carrots and juice was now set up. Normally they gave the kids real fruit, but on days when they hadn't gotten to the grocery store this would have to do.

"Strained," he answered and Elena nodded. "As if he was trying not to win," he went on. Elena sighed and explained that Clay and she had seen the same thing. As they discussed it they both heard the car in the yard and two doors bang shut. Kate yelled something at Logan and Logan, after a small delay, yelled back. The front door banged open and the kids' voices mingled with Clay's, pounding feet down the hall and wide grins as they entered the kitchen. Elena scooped both of the twins up and hugged them close, being hugged hard back and talked to by both of them at the same time.

After she deciphered the twins separate experiences, with Clay's help and aided the twins in finishing their snack they decided a trip to the park would be in order. As they helped a squirmy Kate and a fidgety Logan into their coats Elena's cell phone rang. Automatically she grabbed it and pressed the talk button on the touch screen concentrating on zipping up Kate's coat. She and Logan had long ago learned to do this on their own, but they sometimes liked to be helped, like any other child, or maybe Elena just liked to indulge them. She was a mother after all. Sometimes, though, they indulged her.

After she answered there was silence on the phone for a moment so she spoke again standing up straight and giving Clay an "I have no idea" look when he asked her silently. "Hello, is Layn about?" a man suddenly asked in an English accent. Elena made a face and pulled the phone away from her ear noticing that this wasn't her phone. She had picked up Layn's by accident. Shit.

"Um, no, sorry, he's out. Can I take a message?" she asked politely now. The English man went silent for a moment and she was about to suggest he call back in a few hours when he spoke again.

"Tell him Jay called," he ordered and hung up the phone before she could answer. Elena looked oddly again and shook her head, setting the phone on the side table. Apparently Layn did have a life, or friends, outside of here. She was now a bit more concerned. Maybe it would be natural for him to have friends and a life she supposed. His file stated he had grown up similar to her and someone would have had to raise him. His parents had died when he was about the same age as she had been, four or five it seemed, and after that he had moved around a lot. He could have formed a lasting relationship with a foster brother or father. This Jay could just be a concerned human for all she knew. Still, it was odd. Layn seemed like a loner and he had never mentioned him. Yet again they hadn't known him that long. She wasn't sure which way her thoughts were going with this.

"Mom," Kate's voice interpreted her thoughts and she looked down at her daughter to see her with her hands on her hips and a frown. She must have been trying to get her attention for a while. Elena smiled and held out her hand and Kate's fierce expression broke, her eyes sparkling with the attention. Kate was like that. Mad one moment about not getting attention, or what she wanted, and happy the next, when she got what she wanted.

"She was just thinking, Kate," Logan chastised her in his mini Alpha voice. Kate rolled her eyes and walked forward dragging Elena with her. Logan, feeling too old for hand holding as he was too old to call her momma anymore, walked behind them with Clay following. Elena turned her attention to the surrounding woods and gave it a scan, an automatic response, and then turned when she heard Logan's laughter ring through the yard. Clay had scooped his son up and he was upside-down in the air for a moment before he landed on Clay's shoulders with a wide grin.

"My turn," Kate shouted and started to race to Clay, but Elena crouched down and caught her swinging her into the air and catching her again before she swung her onto her shoulders. Kate screeched with laughter and fell back, making Elena catch her quickly before she fell off or got hurt. "Almost lost her, darling," Clay chuckled as he walked to the door and opened it, lifting Logan off his shoulder and setting him in his car seat. Elena watched as he did this. The kids had almost outgrown the seats, but they were both a bit small for their age although they were growing. Hopefully, like the rest of their friends and the kids their age, they wouldn't need them by the end of the year.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Kate asked, breaking through Elena's thoughts again. What was wrong with her today? She couldn't seem to get her head out of the clouds. Layn and the situation seemed to be distracting her. She guessed it was also thinking about him growing up in the same kind of situation that she did. What horrors was he hiding? Did he have it as bad as she did? Would they ever know? With a smile up at Kate and some reassurance since the little girl was very receptive to emotions and body language; she shook the thoughts away and walked around the car to put Kate in her seat. The little girl was a bit bigger than her brother and would be out of the car seat before Logan, but they would keep them both in until they were both ready. That was the way with them. Neither did anything very different, not when it came to school, routines and time spent with them. They both got the same treatment but in different ways adhering to the two different people they were.

Clay gave her a questioning look but Elena shook her head. They would speak later about it; she was sure, but not now. Now was about the kids. She promised they would not grow up feeling as if they were second to their parents' pack duties. Elena was the Alpha but in mind her children always would come first. It was a warring instinct for her between pack and her children. Was she more the mother or more the Alpha? She promised herself her children would go up with happy memories, good values and feeling loved and wanted, all the thing she never got or never had. She felt somehow that making up for her childhood meant giving her own children the best childhood she could. She knew this was a common feeling in adults with her childhood issues.

As they drove Clay reached over and covered her hand with his own. She looked up into bright ocean blue eyes, seeing the deepest love she had ever known. She smiled again and then turned to look at the kids, asking them questions about a future trip they were taking in a few weeks. She could tell it didn't totally distract Kate who glanced at Logan and gave him an "I'll tell you later" look as they spoke.

The park, along with the ice cream and a trip to the bookstore did seem to distract them and by the time they got home the kids were more interested in their new acquisitions than what was wrong with their mother. Elena felt better as well and ready to tackle more questions about Layn and her current problems. Finally, getting some alone time with Clay, she had a chance to off load and get another opinion. As he held her she felt her thoughts calming and her burden lifting a bit. This was always the way of it.

As she finished explaining she heard a familiar car. Clay and her lied still, knowing their time alone was coming to a close and waited just holding one another. Outside doors opened and Antonio's footsteps could be heard now. The man appeared a few minutes later with a smile on his face and a few bags of groceries he had stepped out to get. As she spoke she heard the front door open and saw Layn pass the study a few moments later but called him back before he got too far.

Before he could speak Elena informed him about the phone call and Layn, looking surprised and worried suddenly, took the phone and hurried away without another word or backwards glance. "Wonder what that was about," Tonio muttered as he stood and picked up the grocery bags again. Elena shrugged but looked after the boy worried. Phone calls in private were fine, but the way Layn looked made her pause. He didn't seem happy about this development so maybe this Jay person was not a good person. She'd need to find out more and Nick would be the perfect person to do this. Hurriedly she stood and left the room to find him with Clay shaking his head behind her.

**Layn**

Layn was furious at Jay. How could he call and put all of this in danger. How could he put Layn in such danger? Jay was an idiot but at least he spoke in a fake accent. They didn't suspect him yet, or so he hoped. He also reminded himself he needed to formulate a plan if they did figure out who he was or suspect him of anything. Layn shook his head and walked through the kitchen and onto the back porch to make the call. What did "don't contact me I'll contact you" mean to him anyway.

With a sigh Layn waited for the line to connect and for Jay to pick up. When he did he used the accent again. Layn figured he would continue with it if they spoke like this. "Layn, I've been waiting for your call," he said with irritation in his voice. Layn stiffened and sat down on the porch steps with his head in his hand.

"I told you…," Layn began but the man cut him off.

"You don't tell me anything, boy," he growled. The young werewolf shut up then and waited. It had taken Jay a life time to find his own anger and use it as a weapon. Layn learned that when he met the man at thirteen. At that age he had been going from foster home to foster home and knew another one didn't make a difference. When he had ended up with Jay, the man was nice and everything seemed normal. Everything was normal for a few weeks until Layn walked into the shed at the wrong time and saw the man changing. It terrified him but it also reminded him of what he was. His parents had told him he was a werewolf but that was a lifetime ago. They had died a lifetime ago and he had become a human essentially. Until Jay reminded him he wasn't.

After that Jay coached him about himself and his heritage and helped him a bit when it was time. Jay was always an in and out guy though. When Layn had his first change he was alone. After that he helped a bit but what he really wanted from Layn was to use him. That was ok with him as long as he was safe and somewhat happy he supposed. It may be the best he could hope for out of life.

"How are you doing?" he asked now. His tone was lower and he seemed calmer. Layn made himself relax as he answered. The man could tell if Layn was nervous or tense just by his tone so he forced himself to relax. Layn talked casually about his stay intentionally telling him that he had made a friend to emphasise that he was making friends with Noah. He also mentioned that the pack, the people he was staying with is how he put it, were somewhat cool as well.

Jay was silent when he heard this and Layn knew he had said something wrong again. He always seemed to. "Remember, you can't trust anyone, Layn. You should have realized that by now. Don't let them get to you. It may all be a lie," he cautioned in a low tone as if Jay was his father and just giving some fatherly advice.

"I know. I have to go though, so I'll message you soon," Layn emphasized and hung up before Jay could reply. With a sigh Layn turned to see Nick looking at him from behind the screen. Layn winced and hoped the man didn't hear much but it may be a stupid hope. Elena appeared beside him now and opened the door so both of them could walk out to see him.

"Who was that?" Nick asked, folding his arms over his chest and looking at Layn as if he was his father. The young werewolf swallowed his irritation and looked at the phone with a sigh. Stupid Jay.

"An old…erm…foster dad," Layn admitted. Nick nodded and Elena looked sympathetic.

"Is he bugging you? Do I need to have a talk with him?" Nick asked now. Layn looked up surprised at this. Nick was coming to his defense? That was…strange. Layn shook his head then and smiled slightly.

"Nah, he was the last guy I was with. He was ok, compared to some anyway. He just likes to check up on me is all. See if I'm ok or if I need anything. He'd like me to come and live with him again but…," Layn trailed off, letting them think what they wanted about it.

"I get it," Elena said and Layn looked over at her, watching her suspiciously. "It was the same for me growing up. Some of them kept in contact but most didn't. Some of them were…not meant to be foster parents. We can talk about it sometime if you want, hon. If there is anything that happened you want to get off your chest or we can compare stories," Elena smiled. Layn immediately shook his head but kept quiet. He was definitely not ready for that. He may not have gotten off so bad, but there were a few foster families who still kept the anger inside of him boiling. A few who he dreamed about going to rip apart one night and showing up as a wolf and doing as he pleased. He kept these thoughts and his urges in check though.

"Just let me know if something is bothering you. When we get to know one another more I'll be able to tell right away like with the others," Nick said, gesturing to the house and presumably to the boys. Layn nodded then feeling that his capacity for emotions was full for that day. With a hand behind his head he looked at the porch's worn wooden deck waiting for someone to say something else or for the awkward silence to be done with.

He slipped his hands in his pocket and fought the shudder inside his body that signalled a coming change. He didn't want to change yet and after three years he could control it somewhat but not entirely. It took years for total control. Luckily no one noticed because he wasn't to the point of physically showing he needed to change yet, soon though, very soon.

He considered asking if he could work on his bike for a bit. It would give him some peace and quiet to think in and also give him time away from the pack but he knew what the answer would be. He didn't want to have to feel like a child when Nick said no so he didn't bother asking.

"The boys are planning something for tonight, Layn, and some younger supernatural members are coming to visit. Why don't you see if you can join them?" Elena suggested. Layn jerked from his thoughts but nodded heading past them gratefully and into the house. He breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he was away from the tense atmosphere and sniffed to figure out where everyone was.

He found Reese and Noah in the living room talking on the phone to what sounded like two others. Quietly he sat and figured out how to get his plan back on track. He needed to get closer to Noah and it seemed like he had taken a small hiatus. No more. Jay was pissed and if Layn didn't have results soon he'd be…well, he wasn't too sure but it wouldn't be good.


	7. Chapter 7

I own nothing except some original characters I sometimes bring in. Kelley Armstrong owns The Otherworld and all the wonderful information there.

*I want to thank SheWolf13 for her excellent editing skills and making this story 100% better. I also want to say please go check out her story _Enraptured_.

**Layn**

Layn got out the Mercedes and looked around. He brushed a hand down his black button up shirt front feeling uncomfortable. He didn't have any clothing that Nick considered 'party' worthy so he borrowed a dress shirt from Noah. It was an almost perfect fit so at least it didn't look bad. Layn had never really been too conscious about his looks anyway, except when it came to him being into someone, then his looks mattered a lot more to him, but he had never really been to a lot of places where looks mattered either so he wasn't too particular otherwise. Apparently a grounding did not extend to him being able to go out with his pack brother he had learned. Shaking his head he looked over at Reese and Noah to see what was happening next.

"Got your I.D.?" Reese asked them both. Noah nodded and Layn fished into the pocket of his jeans, which he refused to change from just to go to a bar, and took out his wallet looking at the card. When Nick had asked earlier he had showed him the homemade I.D. he had done himself. Jay had taught him many things and his forging skills, if he did say so himself, were excellent.

Reese nodded and they walked forward towards the bouncer. This was a human club located in Syracuse and one Nick recommended. No, Nick wasn't with them tonight. Tonight he was out with Elena and Clay doing something similar with them. Layn wasn't sure what they were doing but he was pretty sure hitting up the club was not on the Alpha's agenda. He hoped anyway.

They had no problems at the door, though there was a moment where the man kept glancing at Noah and then at his I.D. but he said nothing and let them in. Noah did look a few years younger than eighteen, though he was catching up quickly, growing a bit taller while his face became a bit more slender. His growing confidence had been helping him as well. Layn had learned all this from listening to Nick give the other boy a confidence talk before they left. Layn got the same talk but he didn't feel he needed it. Maybe Nick just did that for appearance's sake, not wanting to make Noah feel different in any way. Maybe he just felt responsible for Layn which is why he felt the need to talk to him about these things.

Once inside Reese led them to the bar and ordered for himself and Noah before looking at Layn. The young werewolf glanced at the menu and ordered a rum and coke before looking around the crowded space seeing if he could spot Adam and Savannah. He hadn't known the two for long but he had slept on their couch for two nights before he met the pack. They seemed cool at least.

When he showed up in Portland with only an address, for Winterbourne-Cortez Investigations, and a story about how he was a werewolf and needed to contact the pack, there was no way that they were just giving him the pack's whereabouts and letting him go. Only Savannah and Adam had been in, but she had stepped aside when she learned he was a werewolf. Layn figured that she knew he would be more comfortable talking with a guy and she would have been right. He was comfortable with Elena and her being Alpha because she was a werewolf, but other females not so much. He guessed he should make an amendment to that. Almost everyone made him uncomfortable in some way, shape or form, whether it be a guy or girl, but once he got used to them he would be fine. In highly stressful situations, like meeting Adam and Savannah, he preferred to talk to the male just because he was more familiar and comfortable with male company. He had gone out with women and done much more with them before so clearly he was comfortable with them on some level. He knew he was complicated so he wasn't going to try and figure himself out anytime soon.

Adam had taken Layn out for a bite to eat and to talk, explaining he was an Exustio half demon which meant he was super charged to burn Layn to death if he wanted. It was a warning as much as it was an exchange of information to gain his trust. Layn understood and told the man everything he was comfortable with the pack knowing. After he had convinced Adam he was who he said he was, by telling him things only a werewolf or a supernatural would know, and by starting his change a bit, back in the man's apartment, Adam had agreed to contact the pack and promised Elena he would keep an eye on Layn until they could meet him as well.

For two days Layn had helped Adam and Savannah around the office and met Paige and Lucas as well. They didn't escort him to the meeting, knowing it was werewolf business and could get ugly, but they gave him directions and made sure he knew how to get there. They had been incredibly nice to a stranger and he knew he owed them..

Layn looked back at the bar counter and saw Reese digging out a few twenties. Quickly Layn dug into his own pocket and slapped down a five getting a look from the older werewolf. Layn pressed, staring at Reese without looking away until the Aussie man sighed and took Layn's money putting it in his pocket. He damn well paid his own way even if it killed him or everyone around him.

Layn noticed that Noah watched this exchange without a word and looked as if he disapproved. Maybe he did but Layn didn't care. He knew older pack members took care of younger ones but it didn't feel right. He had been getting looks from Noah and it had been tense between them. Layn had felt that the motorcycle adventure would have adhered Noah to him, and it did for a bit, but apparently Layn needed to do more. He was ready and willing to convince Noah he was trustworthy. Whatever it took. His own interests depended on it.

When the drinks arrived, Layn took his and then turned to scan the crowd again. Finally he spotted a tall woman with glossy black hair and beside her a guy about the same height with blonde hair and looking like the typical all American guy next door. Reese and Adam were very similar in appearance that way and almost looked like family until they spoke. Adam's American accent and Reese's Australian accent betrayed their non-family relationship.

Adam saw them then and waved. Reese nodded back and headed that way with both Noah and Layn following. When they got to the table Savannah kicked out a chair and Reese sat down beside her. Layn walked around the table and sat beside Adam while Noah sat in the middle. There was already two empty beer bottles on the table and both of the supernaturals were working on new ones.

"How's it going, squirt?" Adam grinned at Layn and thumped him on the shoulder. Layn, taking a drink, choked a bit but nodded and grinned with a blush. He really liked Adam. He liked Adam a bit too much but he realized the man was off limits. It didn't stop him from admiring him though. The fact that the man called him by kid nick names only adhered Layn to him more for some reason, where it would normally annoy him where it anyone else. Adam wasn't a pack member and it felt as if he Adam could understand things the others might not be able to so Layn had decided to like him despite their supernatural differences.

"I'm alright," Layn answered and exchanged small talk with him for a bit, ignoring the others until a question Savannah asked Reese distracted them and pulled them into the conversation again. Layn felt in another world that Reese and Savannah may have gotten together, though he didn't know either of them well enough, they seemed like a good couple. Savannah and Adam were clearly soul mates though so, even if Reese even did have an interest, he would have backed off after learning that. Layn was still trying to figure Reese out actually. He seemed to avoid physical contact with women in the club and if one of them smiled at him he would look away and not return the gesture. Was he gay? Layn kind of hoped so because he was definitely very good looking. Then again he hadn't looked at any men here or anywhere either. He was definitely an enigma Layn wanted to figure out.

Layn glanced over at Noah then to see him looking at a girl across the room. She was pretty with a petite frame and dark blonde hair. Large brown eyes looked up at a girl she was laughing with. Her laughter and her smile touched her eyes and they sparkled with life and happiness. Someone nice and perfect for Noah whose life was complicated enough.

Layn glanced at Noah again but the other boy noticed and looked down at his beer, playing with the rim of the glass bottle. Quickly Layn glanced back at the girl again to see her talking to yet another girl. The girl triangle is what Layn called it. They all danced together, went to the bathroom together and basically did everything together. It was hard to actually speak to them this way, but a guy had to deal with this if he wanted to speak to a girl. Just another trial.

"Go talk to her," Layn said and Noah shrugged and looked uncertainty at Reese who glanced at the girl and then gave Noah an encouraging smile and a nod. Layn watched this categorizing the reactions and the relationship. Reese seemed like an older brother to Noah and Noah did everything he said it would seem. Or Noah took his cue from the older werewolf. Layn suddenly wondered if he was supposed to do the same thing.

"Maybe later," Noah shrugged. Reese seemed to accept this and went back to conversation with Savannah about a recent council case involving some fake werewolf findings. They were going back to the house to talk to Elena and the pack about it tonight. They had called them to consult a few times but they wanted to give their findings to the pack and see what they thought.

"If you don't go now she'll be gone," Layn pushed. Noah looked uncertainty at him, a flash of annoyance behind his eyes, before he glanced at Reese who sat back and said nothing, preferring to watch the exchange. Layn wasn't certain about this but didn't ask. Maybe he wanted Noah to make his own decisions or maybe he wanted to see how Layn and Noah reacted.

Noah shrugged now and Layn sighed. "If you don't go, I will," he threatened. Noah looked up with a blazing gaze then and a glare. Pushing Noah didn't seem to be working well but he had no idea how else to get a reaction, any reaction, from the other werewolf.

Without a word Layn stood and ignored the look Reese gave him and Adam's hand on his arm. He pushed back his chair and walked over to the group of girls clearing his throat. They all looked his way but he only had eyes for the girl that Noah was into. "Sorry to bother you. My brother, he's a bit shy but he wanted to know if you'd like to dance," Layn grinned. The girl looked at the table where Noah went red and Reese glanced at his drink. Savannah and Adam pretended to be in conversation with one another.

"Is he the blonde one?" the girl giggled and looked at her friends. Of course Reese or Adam would be the noticeable ones. Layn shook his head and pointed out Noah who looked up and frowned but quickly turned the expression into a smile when Reese kicked him under the table.

"No thanks, but you're cute," she said and suddenly she grabbed him by the shirt front and kissed him. Layn pushed her away gently, telling her he wasn't interested. She frowned and then flipped her hair and turned walking away without a word. Now he had really messed up. Layn turned back to the table now to see a seriously annoyed and embarrassed Noah and he saw the others, especially Reese, did not look too happy either.

He walked back feeling he had definitely made the wrong decision and sat down without a word, taking a huge chug of his drink to calm his nerves. The alcohol would go through him quickly but it definitely effected his judgement and reactions. With another chug he finished the drink and then stood to go and get another. As he walked around the table Reese took his arm and pointed to their drinks, telling him silently to get them more as well. Layn nodded and the other werewolf let him go. He glanced at Adam then who nodded for a refill as well and Savannah dug out a twenty and gave it to Layn.

He headed downstairs thinking about how to make this up to Noah and not paying attention when he bumped into someone. "Sorry," he murmured and then looked up and stopped. A tall dark haired guy with caramel coloured skin smiled down at him. Layn blushed and looked away. He wasn't gay but he definitely wasn't just interested in girls. He supposed he was bi but he hadn't given it much thought. Layn was a creature of instinct. Sex with girls or sex with guys just happened suddenly and then it was over. He walked away or went home and normally didn't run into the person again.

"Hey," the guy said and Layn nodded. This was exactly the kind of person he would be interested in spending the night with, someone who came onto him, but right now was not the time. Instead he told the guy he wasn't interested but before he could turn away the guy took his shoulder and showed him a piece of paper which he stuffed into Layn's jeans pocket with a cocky grin before he took off. Maybe if he needed to blow off some steam he would give the guy a call. He'd definitely keep the number.

Layn quickly ordered more drinks and hurried back to the table, distributing them and giving Savannah back her change. Noah pushed his bottle of beer aside and grabbed the new one looking miserable. Layn felt horrible. He'd only wanted to cheer the other guy up maybe give him some confidence, but it had clearly been the wrong move. Reese sighed and glanced at Noah as well, Layn assumed, trying to think of a way to cheer him up.

"You know, she said she was gay," Layn lied, making Noah look over with a raised eyebrow. "She kissed me to make her girlfriend jealous, plus I am not all that interested in…," Layn said but then shut his mouth. Stupid alcohol was taking away his inhibitions. He should definitely stop and take a break.

Noah looked at Reese then who was in conversation with Adam and didn't seem to notice Noah right then. Layn glanced at Noah again and then looked over to see Savannah watching Layn and then gesturing to another girl sitting alone at a table before his gaze focused on Noah again. Layn bit his lip and then inwardly growled at himself for doing it. He wasn't sure that pushing Noah to go and talk to another girl was the right thing but…maybe.

"Noah, she was looking at you," Layn said lowly to Noah, leaning towards him. Noah gave Layn an exasperated growl but took a look and then sat up straighter. She hadn't been watching Noah but, for the right price, Layn was sure she could convince her to pay attention to Noah. "Want me to talk to her?" he asked now.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea…," Reese said, watching Noah now who looked nervous, especially after a few minutes ago, before his look started to be more confident.

"Ok, go talk to her," Noah ordered. Layn bristled at the order but stood, shaking off his annoyance. He'd gone a step before Noah grabbed his arm and Layn looked down at the other boy now curiously and with all annoyance gone. "Don't kiss her!" he growled and Layn rolled his eyes and walked around the table. Again he ignored Reese's look. He was definitely getting a talking to later he figured.

Layn walked to the girl at the table alone and sat down with a smile. The girl looked up at him and interest sparked in her eyes. "I'm gay," Layn said, not sure it was a lie or not yet, "but my brother is really interested in you," he emphasized and reached his hand across the table to hold hers but secretly giving her some incentive. The girl looked surprised and then down at her hand when Layn moved his. No one at his table had noticed since she blocked their view. She looked up at Layn when she saw the crumbled fifty in her hand and then smiled willingly. He really didn't have the money to waste like this but it was worth it.

He nodded to Noah and the girl turned and smiled at him. Noah looked surprised and then smiled back tentatively. "That's Noah and he's twenty," Layn lied. Technically Noah was eighteen and you were supposed to be twenty one but whatever. No one ever cared.

"I'm Lila," she said and Layn stood and nodded to Noah who brushed a hand through his hair as Lila stood as well and walked over. Noah stood and pulled out a chair for her, Layn's chair, but he didn't mind. Instead he took a chair from the table Lila just vacated and brought it to the table. Noah swallowed and began answering Lila's questions now. What school do you go to? Where are you from? All those things that help you get to know someone on a base level but not really know them all.

Layn sent a smile to Reese who watched Noah with a grin. When he glanced sideways he saw Adam and Savannah were getting up and going to dance. With Noah occupied and Reese paying close attention to them, Layn decided to go and find the guy who he had run into earlier or maybe the pretty girl he had seen on his way back up here. He deserved a treat, right? Layn stood then and Reese glanced at him but didn't ask. Picking up his glass he gulped the rest of his drink and headed around the table and down the stairs scanning the people and finding the guy's dark head after a few minutes. He was speaking with someone and laughing. Layn's gut churned then, feeling as if he was too late, but he walked forward anyway.

"Alec?" Layn asked he looked over with large deep moss green eyes that reminded Layn of a forest. His short dark hair was close cropped but glittered with some gold in it.. His skin was more cocoa in this light. "I'm Layn, want to dance?" he asked blatantly. Alec glanced at the guy he was talking to and then nodded, taking Layn's hand and walking onto the dance floor. Layn spied Noah dancing with the girl and they seemed to be laughing and talking so he turned his attention to Alec and smiled as well, throwing his arms around the other man's neck and dancing to the beat. Forgetting, just forgetting everything. His mission—though he had promised himself it would be a priority—Noah across the floor and Reese, who he felt bad for leaving, and just had fun.

If he was right then maybe he would be able to forget everything that was happening for a full night and he could return to the mission and all the problems tomorrow. He supposed he should have minded the fact that the pack would think he was gay, but he couldn't care less right then. He didn't know what he was but he knew he wasn't truly gay. His wolf grumbled at this feeling weak as he always did when the subject came up. Not that Layn could be gay, he couldn't care less, but more that Layn could not settle and make up his mind. Until Layn was at peace with himself the wolf would continue to feel vulnerable. .

His eyes glowed as he watched the guy dance in front of him and felt his arousal. So this month it seemed he was into guys. Last month he had gone out with a girl for a few weeks, Sabine, but that was before Jay told him about this mission and about the reason Jay found him and kept him in the first place.

Alec opened his mouth to say something but then his eyes went wide and he took a step back. Layn looked confused and was about to turn around and see what Alec was looking at. All this went through his mind in a moment before he felt something hard hit the back of his head and he stumbled. Layn cried out, not expecting this, and grabbed the back of his head but backed up and spun around, standing shakily to face his opponent. Noah stood there with clenched fists looking beyond pissed. From his hand fluttered the fifty dollar bill.

"I can explain," Layn said but Noah growled and surged forward. Behind him the bouncers were closing in on them, but before he could think of what to do someone grabbed him behind and held onto his upper arm tightly. Layn sniffed discreetly and smelled Adam which made sense as Reese was now holding Noah's arm and apologizing to the bouncers for his brothers who he was taking home now. The men nodded but followed them out into the parking lot, watching them until they got back to the Mercedes. They then went inside and Reese turned to both of them angrily.

"What the hell?" he growled, specifically glaring at Layn now. Noah wrenched his arm from the older wolf and lunged at Layn who felt his anger at Noah and at everything surge. He tried to pull forward and strike before Noah could, but Adam forced him back and Reese caught Noah, ordering him to back down. Noah scowled but listened, glaring at Layn now.

"I was just trying to help," Layn said angrily through gritted teeth.

"I don't need you to pay anyone to speak to me you asshole," Noah cried and tried to get at Layn again but Reese held him fast.

"I'm taking you guys home, now," Reese sighed but Adam cleared his throat and stopped Reese's plan.

"No, Reese, let them fight it out. They obviously don't get along so well so let them beat the crap out of one another and get it out of their system," Adam declared. Layn looked surprised at the half demon, forgetting his anger for a moment, and then back at Reese. He saw Noah was looking surprised as well, but his anger was raging below the surface.

"Yeah, let them just go at one another. Guys do that, right?" Savannah asked, crossing her slender arms across her chest and looking at Reese. The Aussie werewolf was the same age as Savannah but Adam was a decade their elder. Technically his age should have put him in charge, but he wasn't a werewolf. Reese was in charge of the werewolves here being the oldest of them there.

He looked uncertain about this and Layn could tell a million thoughts were going through his mind. He could almost hear the stream.. Was this responsible? Would this work? What would Nick do? What would Elena do? What should I do?

Layn looked at Noah now who looked half angry and half confused at Reese. Clearly this was unusual behaviour. Finally Reese nodded and turned Noah around, pushing him towards the alley. Adam made a noise of approval and did the same with Layn.

When they got to the alley they followed Reese to the end of it where he had let go of Noah and walked to the wall, leaning against it with crossed arms. Adam let go of Layn when they were a few feet in front of Noah and took a few steps back, covering the front of the alley while Savannah walked to the opposite wall and crossed her arms as well watching them.

"Go ahead, beat the crap out of one another," Reese sighed and looked past Adam towards the front of the alley.

**Reese**

Layn turned to Noah whose confusions were fading now to be replaced by the previous anger as he gazed at Layn. Immediately Reese saw Layn's anger rise as well. He had no idea if he was doing the right thing. Nick often said that you didn't know if you were doing the right thing until the deed was done like cooking. You never know if it will be good until you try it. Often you don't do the right thing and then just learn from it.

Reese sighed and watched as Layn lunged at Noah all of a sudden, but he ducked out of the way and grabbed Layn as he passed. It was similar to their first fight and Noah recognized this Reese saw. The older wolf was definitely proud that Noah was such a good fighter and he had had a hand in it. He had never felt more like an older brother than when watching Noah do well on something.

Noah found a pressure point in Layn's neck and he went down with a growl. Noah almost landed on top of him, but Layn suddenly shot out of the way and grabbed Noah's leg, pulling him down. They ended up on the ground a lot sooner than Reese figured they would but they were both incredibly angry and the rage would just keep building and building. Adam had been right. They needed to fight this out and they were definitely doing a good job of it.

Reese looked over to see Adam and Savannah watching the boys carefully and cataloguing their movements. The older wolf brought his attention to the boys again to see Noah throw an upper cut. Layn suddenly grabbed his arm and twisted pushing back and making Noah cry out this time. Immediately Reese's suspicion was amped up, like hell this kid couldn't fight, and he watched carefully as Layn jumped on top of Noah and started punching his jaw and the side of his head.

Noah looked stunned for a moment as blood gushed out of his nose and his broken lip. His eye looked like it would be dark within a few hours as well. Finally Layn let up, breathing hard as his eyes went wide looking like he had a sudden realization. Reese was definitely more suspicious now. Layn, without any fighter training, had taken Noah, who had a few years' experience on him, down, managed to pin him and make him bleed in less than a few minutes. It was unlikely he was just naturally good, not since the last fight in which he was not at this level.

Noah took a two second break before he surged up and lunged at Layn who didn't fight back as his head smacked into the cement and it was Noah's turn to pin and start hitting the other boy. Layn took a few hits before he started fighting back, but Noah managed to block his punches and pin one of his arms to the side. With his remaining arm Layn took a new tactic and punched Noah's kidney, making Noah gasp and let go. Reese was about to step in but decided against it. Stopping them would just make this whole thing useless so he left it alone and let them continue.

Layn grabbed Noah's shirt front and pushed him to the side gaining leverage over him for a moment, getting onto his knees and starting to throw another punch, but Noah gathered himself and moved out of the way, grabbing Layn's shirt front now and punching him in the jaw hard. Layn fell back with an _oomph _and just managed to catch himself, but Noah was onto him in seconds and smashing his fist into Layn's jaw and face over and over again. Layn tried to duck and block, but Noah was faster and managed to hit him 80% of the time.

Finally Noah grabbed Layn's head and smashed his face into the concrete, leaving long scratch marks that started bleeding immediately. Layn groaned but lay still, breathing hard until Noah stopped and got off of him, crouching beside him and breathing hard as well. Neither boy said anything as they caught their breath looking exhausted. Reese looked at his watch seeing the fight had only taken twenty minutes. Both of them needed endurance training.

"Feel better?" Adam asked and walked forward, holding out his hand to Noah. Noah nodded and accepted and Reese walked forward to help Layn up too.

"Friends?" Layn asked, looking at Noah and wiping his sleeve across his face to get rid of some of the blood. Noah nodded then and grinned slightly which made Layn laugh. Reese shook his head at this, seeing Layn's eye, swelling shut, and Noah's lip swelling quickly.

"Friends," Noah confirmed. All their anger seemed to be extinguished now and they shook hands. Well, at least one good thing had come from this. Layn and Noah would finally get along. It would cause them a lot of physical pain for a bit, but hopefully it was worth it.

"Men," Savannah sighed dramatically, causing Adam to laugh.

"How's your side?" Reese asked, taking Noah's shoulder and lifting up the side of his shirt and coat to see. Layn looked over to see a deep blue and black bruise had appeared on Noah's side. Layn winced but Noah shrugged. Pain and bruises came with the territory of being a werewolf Reese knew, but the boys were in pain and had bruises because of him. He suddenly felt as if this was a bad idea.

Reese was not looking forward to getting home but he knew he needed to get it over with. He hustled them into the car and listened to them talk on the way home. Suddenly it seemed as if they had known one another forever and there never had been a problem. They spoke about things they liked and got to know one another, laughing and talking. They seemed to forget about what they had just done to one another and Reese found himself wondering why he hadn't let them fight it out long ago. Right, because Nick and the pack would not approve. Werewolves do not fight pack members as they have enough enemies outside of the pack. Fighting within it was not allowed and strictly forbidden. Suddenly his stomach felt as if it were in a tight knot. This had not been a good idea after all.

Reese drove into Stonehaven a few minutes after midnight and watched as the boys got out and headed to the house still talking loudly. Reese hissed a warning for them to quiet down as soon as he got out and he followed them up across the yard, up the stairs, over the porch and into the house with his extra key. Inside he told the boys to wait in the study, which was dark like the rest of the house, and he toed off his shoes and pulled off his coat before heading up the stairs. He went directly to Jeremy's room and knocked softly. He would have gone to Elena but she was not home yet from her night out with Nick and Clay.

He heard nothing and waited for a few moments before he walked in. Inside he saw Jeremy across the room in bed with his arms wrapped around a sleeping Jaime. Maybe he should wait until Nick and Elena came home but he was here so he may as well do what he came here to do. Reese walked across the floor, not trying to be quiet or make noise as he reached the man. Gently he shook Jeremy's shoulder calling his name softly.

Jeremy murmured something softly before his eyes flew open almost instantly alert. Reese backed up with his hands raised and waited for Jeremy to understand it was him and not an enemy. Jeremy saw Reese's worried eyes and nodded getting up, carefully disentangling himself from Jaime and not saying a word. He quickly gathered some pants from a nearby chair already folded and gestured for Reese to lead the way. The former Alpha followed but neither spoke until they were outside.

"Something happened; can you come and look at the boys?" Reese asked. Jeremy looked confused and then worried but then nodded. By the time they arrived downstairs Reese had described Layn and Noah's injuries and informed Jeremy that they had gotten ice from the freezer before he went upstairs.

"What exactly happened?" he asked as they walked in. He went straight to Noah and asked to see his side which Reese was most concerned about. Noah lowered the frozen peas from his split lip and obliged him, lifting his shirt. Jeremy looked at it and poked around a bit apologizing for the pain but declaring that Noah would be fine. It was just surface damage and would heal itself.

Reese explained as Layn and Noah exchanged worried glances. Behind them they heard the door opening and knew it was Adam and Savannah who made had made another stop on the way and were a bit behind them. Neither of them said anything as they walked into the room and watched as Jeremy looked over the young werewolves and declared they were fine and just bruised. Layn nodded to this and put a steak on his swollen eye. Reese winced every time he saw Layn's almost swollen shut eye. He wasn't so much worried about the pain but the fact that he had caused it. Clear proof this was his fault and he hadn't done his job.

"It was my idea," Adam said softly now. Jeremy glanced at the half demon and then looked back at Reese.

"It doesn't matter whose idea it was. It was stupid. While I understand the principal behind the idea, Reese, it was not a good idea and you should have known that," Jeremy said. Reese opened his mouth to reply but snapped it shut when Jeremy went on without letting him speak. "All of you should go to bed and this will be dealt with in the morning," Jeremy announced and then walked out without a word.

Reese sighed and then nodded, telling Noah and Layn to get to bed and bidding Adam and Savannah goodnight. They had stayed here before but since the pack was in residence they would be at the local Bear Valley Inn and come back in the morning. Adam looked worried but said goodnight taking Savannah with him. As the boys walked upstairs, after taking some extra strong Advil, Reese returned to the front door and relocked it; he checked the other locks and then walked upstairs to join the others. He was not looking forward to the morning but that was a while away. Until then he could think about the answers he would need tomorrow.


End file.
